The Road Network – A Dangerous Workplace

by | Jul 13, 2022

The Department for Transport recognises the road network as the most dangerous workplace in the UK; business driving kills 4 times as many people as other kinds of at-work incidents across the whole of UK industry.

And the Royal Society for the prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) note that over 100 people are killed or seriously injured every week in road traffic collisions (RTCs) involving someone who was driving or riding for work.

Perhaps even more concerning is that there has been no reduction in RTC fatalities in over a decade; “a disgrace” according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists. While deaths in road traffic collisions fell year-on-year historically, Department for Transport data shows ”the trend in the number of fatalities has been broadly flat since 2010.”

The latest statistics published by the Department for Transport reveal 1,608 deaths in 2021, which is the equivalent of an Airbus A320, the type of aircraft used for short-haul holidays, crashing every five weeks! If that happened, we would do something about it, wouldn’t we?

So what is being done to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads each year? A plethora of road safety organisations and road safety initiatives don’t appear to be achieving very much.

To put it bluntly, every penny invested in fatality reduction over the last decade has achieved little or nothing – the statistics speak for themselves! So what is on the horizon that will lead to a noteworthy reduction in RTC fatalities?

Other than large-scale introduction of driverless vehicles, to remove human error, the single biggest contributory factor in the cause of collisions, what is there?

Will the government attempt to raise driving standards by introducing a more stringent driving test, similar to that in Germany? Address training fade, ever present in all forms of competency, by mandating refresher training?

Probably not, even though it is indisputable that if everyone drove their vehicles each day to the standard required to pass the driving test, the number of collision, fatalities and serious injuries would be minimal.

Unless accident prevention/road safety schemes result in universal improvements in driving standards, it’s reasonable to assume RTC fatalities will remain at the same level unless or until we completely remove human error by introducing automatic driving systems.

And in the meantime? Where is the incentive to change? Where is the imperative? It is usually found amongst those who have the most to gain, and in this context, it is surely businesses that employ drivers and who rely on a free-flowing road network for commercial sustainability.

Along with the pain, grief and suffering that form the human cost, employers also face substantial financial harm. Serious and fatal RTCs expose managers and their businesses to a range of potential costs:

  • Compensation payments
  • Legal fees
  • Lost productivity
  • Increased insurance premiums
  • Reputational harm
  • Fines or even Corporate Manslaughter charges

This list amounts to a big incentive to change, which is common to all businesses. Can businesses, with the right approach, act together to effect change that would save lives, improve the bottom line, and lessen the burden on the NHS? The answer is yes, and it is action requiring no technical innovation or ground-breaking developments.

All that is required is for businesses to ensure their drivers have the same access to first aid as their conventional workplace-based employees.

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