UK businesses are being left exposed by a lack of road safety policy, new research has revealed.

60% of companies have had staff involved in road traffic accidents while at work. Image: Thatcham

The study by TomTom Telematics of UK companies whose employees drive for work purposes found more than a fifth (21%) have no road safety policy in place while a further 4% didn’t actually know whether their organisation had a defined policy.

Yet 60% said staff members had been involved in road traffic accidents while on business duty, with 78% claiming this resulted in lost productivity due to injury or time off work.

And the analysis of senior managers at 400 UK businesses also found only 64% have processes in place to profile the risk posed by individual drivers, based on factors such as driving behaviour or previous convictions.

Less than three-fifths (57%) of companies provide driving training and of those that do, 38% provide it once every six months or less. Just over half of all businesses (53%) provide drivers with technological tools or driver aids to help them drive more safely.

Beverley Wise, director UK & Ireland at TomTom Telematics, said: “Businesses should also be aware that a proactive approach to road safety can deliver further business benefits. By employing technology to monitor driver behaviour and providing drivers with live feedback, supported by targeted coaching and training, it is possible to reduce fuel spend, cut insurance premiums and boost productivity.”

To read our feature on ‘Six Steps to Better Risk Management’, click here.