Charity uncovers shock statistics

More than one in four road deaths in Britain involves someone driving for work according to a national road safety charity after studying Department for Transport (DfT) statistics.

After studying the figures, Brake found that last year 858 people were killed and 6,622 were seriously injured in crashes involving at-work drivers. This equates to 16 deaths and 127 serious injuries every week.

What’s more, the actual figure could be much higher, with indications that at-work casualties are being under-reported by police.

Now the charity, together with FedEx, is urging all companies to ensure they have robust driver education and risk management systems to prevent crashes among employees who drive for work.

Brake’s head of education, Jools Townsend, says it’s shocking that so many people are killed or hurt due to at-work driver crashes.

The government must ensure a more stringent approach to collecting data on at-work crashes, so the public can fully understand the extent of the problem.

Brake is urging businesses to wake up to the need to manage and reduce risks faced by employees driving for work – and the risks posed to others.

That means having a comprehensive safe driving policy, to ensure drivers are not under pressure to take risks. Training and resources are available freely through the FedEx & Brake Road Safety Academy.