Work traffic accidents

Employers must do more to reduce the high level of work-related road traffic accidents, says the professional body the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

One in three of company drivers has a road traffic accident (RTA) every year. Common causes of accidents are fatigue, distraction and pressure of time.

Research for IOSH, carried out by the independent consultancy the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), has revealed that a huge number of companies have failed to assess the effectiveness of their road safety strategies.

“Disappointingly, our review has shown that we actually have very little evidence to suggest which of the strategies companies are using to reduce work-related RTAs are actually working, and by how much,” said Shaun Helman, principal road safety researcher at TLR.

“We think that some companies are achieving results, but we want to encourage businesses across the UK to take a long, hard evaluative look at whether what they’re doing is simply ticking boxes, or actually yielding results. We need well controlled evaluation to show us what works, by how much, and why.”