One third of collisions involve someone driving for work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Research indicates that up to a third of all road traffic collisions in the UK involve someone who is driving for work purposes<\/a>, which may account for over 20 fatalities and 150 serious injuries every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While employers are required to manage health and safety risks for workers driving as part of their job, incidents occurring on public roads are generally not reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)<\/a> to the Health and Safety Executive. This can lead to underreporting of work-related road incidents – highlighting the importance of employers proactively managing road safety<\/a> for their employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Data from the DVSA confirms that 2,152,849 vehicles failed their MOT due to tyre defects<\/a> in the 2023\u20132024 period, marking a record high. The number of tyre-related MOT failures increased from 1.83 million in 2019\u20132020 to over 2.15 million in 2023\u20132024, a rise of 17%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, more than 750,000 of these vehicles had previously been issued tyre-related advisories, indicating a pattern of neglected maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A survey conducted by the RAC<\/a> found that 5% of drivers never check their tyres, and 20% do so only when they remember, not regularly. If you have company vehicles, regular vehicle checks should form part of your driving for work policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n See our guide<\/a> to help educate your staff on the dangers of poor tyre health and check out the Quartix Check vehicle inspections app<\/a> to help you manage regular vehicle safety checks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Driving with defective or illegal tyres can result in significant penalties<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Accumulating 12 or more penalty points within a three-year period can lead to disqualification from driving. Ensure compliance with tyre regulations and maintain road safety, by regularly checking tyre tread depth, pressure, and overall condition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The significant number of tyre-related MOT failures and the neglect of tyre advisories underscore the need for increased awareness and regular vehicle maintenance to improve road safety. TyreSafe<\/a> is urging police officers to check tyre condition during any vehicle stops as a way to remind drivers of their duty to maintain roadworthy tyres. The message is clear: you could be stopped at any time, and unsafe tyres carry serious penalties. They aim to reduce tyre-related collisions by increasing awareness and encouraging regular tyre checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974<\/a>, employers are legally required to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all employees, including those who drive as part of their work duties. This encompasses conducting risk assessments related to driving activities, ensuring vehicles are roadworthy, and that drivers are competent and fit for driving tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a business employs five or more individuals, it is legally required to have a written health and safety policy<\/a>. This policy should outline the company’s approach to managing health and safety, including procedures related to driving for work. It’s best practice to include driving for work within the overall health and safety policy or as a separate document. This ensures that risks associated with driving are adequately managed and that employees are aware of the company’s expectations and procedures related to driving tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Implementing a comprehensive driving for work policy is crucial for managing occupational road risks. Such a policy helps in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a clear and documented driving policy<\/a> is a proactive step towards safeguarding both employees and the organisation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n “Road safety is not just about driving behaviour. Fatigue, stress, medical impairment all impact someone\u2019s ability to drive safely. So employers must consider the pressures that their staff might be under and assess these factors, as well as vehicle safety and other measures. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Setting clear standards, monitoring behaviour, reporting collisions, and using tools like telematics to identify risk are all crucial steps. With the right interventions in place, businesses can protect their drivers and the public, and create a culture of safety.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anne-Marie Penny, Senior Road Safety Policy Adviser, National Highways<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n With hundreds of thousands of tracked vehicles on the roads daily, we offer a unique view of driving behaviour. Analysis of over 663 million data points from our SafeSpeed database reveals UK speeding hotspots<\/a>, with the M6 Toll (between Tamworth and Burntwood) topping the list, where 46% of drivers exceed the 70mph limit. Similar trends appear on the M61 near the Horwich Interchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our driver monitoring tools<\/a> highlight risky behaviours like speeding and harsh braking, helping businesses identify high-risk drivers and take action. Driver scores and league tables can provide incentives and guidance to reduce collisions, improve fuel efficiency, and cut maintenance costs – one customer saw a 65% drop in accidents<\/a> and \u00a3150,000 in maintenance savings in just one year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With our SafeSpeed scoring system<\/a>, drivers are also benchmarked against average speeds driven on the same road segments – especially useful on rural roads, where driving at the posted limit isn\u2019t always safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark Cartwright, Head of Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention at National Highways, highlighted the critical role of proactive safety management for mobile teams in an episode of our\u00a0Fleet Insider podcast<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think the kind of rich data that businesses can pull from systems such as Quartix is invaluable. I\u2019ve always liked Quartix\u2019s SafeSpeed feature. We know that speed is a significant cause of collisions and certainly makes them more serious\u201d<\/em>\u00a0says Mark.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nA record number of vehicles fail MOTs due to tyre defects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1 in 5 people forget to check tyres<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3 points for every defective tyre<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAn employers’ duty to ensure safe driving<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A written Health and Safety Policy is a requirement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The importance of a Driving for Work Policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Is speeding a key risk?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n