Research shows that drivers remain at risk

20 August 2014

Research shows that:

• An estimated one third of road traffic accidents in Britain involve someone at work, excluding commuting journeys. The human and financial costs to families, businesses and the wider community are enormous.

• Nearly all of these deaths and injuries are preventable.

• For the majority of people, the most dangerous thing they do while at work is drive on the public highway.

• Although vehicles over 7.5 tonnes operate in a strongly regulated environment, there remains a relatively high accident rate in this category.

• Company drivers who drive more than 80% of their annual mileage on work related journeys are 50% more likely to have an accident than similar drivers who do no work related mileage.

• About 300 people are killed each year as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. About 4 in 10 tiredness-related crashes involve someone driving a commercial vehicle.

• The annual risk of dying in a road accident while driving for business reasons is significantly greater than the risk of dying as a result of all other workplace accidents.

More research information is available through the Road Safety Observatory