Research: Company car drivers 'have more crashes'
Drivers with company cars have up to 40% more crashes than those with private vehicles, new research reveals.
Around 100 motorists die in job-related road accidents every year with up to a third of all collisions linked with work, a major international road safety conference today heard.
The Dublin event is aimed at making employers more aware of their responsibilities, providing research on the trauma caused by traffic crashes and launching new guidelines for work driving.
The Health and Safety Authority, joint organiser of the conference, said more than 40% of employers have no driving for work policy.
Martin O’Halloran, HSA chief executive, said: “All employers are required by health and safety laws to put proper measures in place to protect the safety of all their employees.
“Particularly concerning is that 42% of Irish businesses have no driving for work policy as part of their health and safety management system.
“A 2008 Health and Safety Authority survey of businesses also found that there was a lack of awareness of their duties to manage work-related driving activities.”
Mr O’Halloran called on company bosses to ensure workers who use vehicles for their job have access to proper training, which could save money on work-related road accident claims.
Last year there were 57 work-related deaths, 60% of which involved some form of vehicle, according to the Road Safety Authority.
The RSA said company cars drivers are involved in more crashes because they are on the road more often because of their jobs and can become tired and feel under pressure.
It also claimed drivers who clock up more than 40,000km a year are at a higher risk of being involved in an accident.
The body said the new guidelines would highlight the benefits for businesses in ensuring road safety guidelines are in place.
Noel Brett, RSA chief, said: “Managing staff safety, while driving for work, makes good business sense, especially in the current economic climate as it protects staff and business profits. For example, for every 1 euro claimed on insurance, arising from work-related road incidents, companies may have to pay a further 8 to 36 euro for uninsured losses.”
Speakers at the conference in Dublin Castle included Mr Brett and Mr O’Halloran, Superintendent Declan O’Brien from the Garda National Traffic Bureau and Professor Jim Horne, Director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University.
