Businesses urged to widen fleet risk focus after DfT collision data

Businesses may be underestimating the true scale of occupational road risk, according to legal firm LMP Legal, following new Department for Transport (DfT) analysis suggesting work-related driving accounts for a significant proportion of road collisions and fatalities.

The DfT estimated that 23% of all reported road collisions in Great Britain during 2025 involved at least one driver or rider travelling for work.

However, the department also said the journey purpose of 53% of vehicles involved in reported collisions is unknown, indicating the true proportion could be higher.

The analysis found work-related collisions accounted for 29% of all road fatalities during 2025.

While heavy goods vehicles are often the focus of fleet safety discussions, the DfT found cars were involved in 28.7% of work-related injury collisions during 2025, with vans accounting for a further 22.6%.

LMP Legal said the figures should prompt organisations to consider occupational driving beyond traditional fleet operations.

Martin Le Maire, director at LMP Legal, said: “Businesses tend to associate fleet risk with HGVs because they operate within a well-established compliance framework. Cars, vans and grey fleet vehicles often don’t receive the same level of governance, despite representing a significant proportion of occupational driving.”

The firm said the findings come as the legal environment surrounding commercial driving continues to evolve, with recent sentencing guideline changes placing greater emphasis on professional drivers and regulators increasing their focus on van operations through legislative and compliance reforms.