“These figures are certainly food for thought, and it is clear that businesses need to do more to improve the driving standards of their employees. Road safety is paramount, of course, but there are additional economic benefits to be reaped from educating drivers to act more responsibly on the roads.”
Businesses need to have proper procedures in place to reduce accidents, particularly those caused by poor driving behaviour
The figures reveal that many company drivers display a worrying lack of basic care and attention. Almost one in ten (10 per cent) of all accidents were caused by drivers colliding with an immobile object such as a bridge, wall or fence. The cost of such collisions to businesses totalled more than £2.5m.
Thankfully, collisions with pedestrians and cyclists were a rare occurrence. Just 334 of the 44,448 accidents (0.7 per cent) recorded involved a collision with these other road users.
Harper added:
“Compared to other hazards employees encounter in the workplace, driving is often viewed as less of a risk. However, in many industries, driving is the single biggest risk that employees will face during the course of their working day, so it’s especially worrying that company drivers are at fault in half of the incidents we recorded.
“Businesses need to have proper procedures in place to reduce accidents, particularly those caused by poor driving behaviour, and investigate why accidents occur. They should consider the impact of time or work pressures and any distractions posed by in-car technology. Once businesses understand the root cause of accidents, they can take steps to educate drivers on the danger and minimise associated risks.”
