The highest single risk to human life in the oil and gas industry is driving. Industry statistics show that 40% of all recorded fatalities involve driving, by far the biggest killer. There is conclusive evidence that there are many more fatal driving accidents that go unrecorded because of the industry practice of "ring-fencing," which includes not counting fatalities that occur during commuting to and from work. A major oilfield services company, with approximately 40,000 employees, has historically had significant programs addressing driving issues. In a comparison of published data, the company found its personnel had a driving performance markedly better than that in other industries and the public as a whole. By its own measures, the company still suffers, however, from an unacceptable number of "occupational" automotive accidents, and an even more significant number of "nonoccupational" auto accidents. In early 1998, a new approach was introduced based on two keyprinciples:-evolving to a 24 hours/day, 7 days/week safe driving culture, independent of whether or not the driving is work related-a systematic approach rather than individual programs. The paper shows how an eight-element management system model has been applied to managing driving risks and gives practical details of the initiatives undertaken in each element. It concludes by describing how this management system approach affects the company, including the evolution to a24-hour safety culture, and the progress to date in reducing the number of automotive accidents. Introduction According to the Oil & Gas Producers' (OGP) latest published statistics for the industry, vehicle incidents continue to be the most common event leading to fatalities. 1 Vehicle incidents accounted for 40% of 1998incidents resulting in fatalities, up from 33% in 1997. However, the industry practice of ring-fencing—for example not counting fatalities of employees during commuting between their homes and work sites—means that the actual figure is certainly much higher.