The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has urged employers to do more to protect employees who drive as part of their job, claiming that the UK economy loses £3.5 billion a year through death and injury on the roads.
The TUC said that as well as the pain and suffering experienced by families who lose a loved one, British businesses were losing money by failing to safeguard staff from injury or death.
To help firms tackle the problem, the TUC has published a new guide which outlines how bosses can cut the risk of accidents on the road.
Trade union leaders said that employers seem to think that if they ask an employee to ‘drive safely’, then they have met their health and responsibilities.
The TUC claimed that firms could do much more to prevent car accidents by carrying out proper risk assessments, working out route plans and setting achievable deadlines for under-pressure sales reps or fleet drivers.
The new guide gives tips on how to create an effective road policy and explains the legal requirements that employers have to meet.
Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said that tired, stressed drivers are not going to be particularly safe drivers.
“Bosses have a real responsibility for the safety of their roving staff and reducing unrealistic and unmanageable workloads for their drivers must become a top priority.
“Because many work-related road accidents are treated like any other road accidents, many employers are never called to account.
“The UK does not have a fantastic health and safety record and early indicators suggest that the number of employees killed at work this year is likely to rise.
“Yet our worsening safety record comes at a time when we are seeing less enforcement of safety laws and a reduction in the level of fines handed out to bosses committing health and safety crimes,” he said.
