Fleets have been told their drivers will be targeted by Government as it strives to reduce the numbers killed on Britain’s roads to its lowest level ever.

The Government has enjoyed significant success in reducing the number of people killed on the roads.

In 2007, the numbers killed dropped below 3,000 for the first time.

Now estimates by road safety experts indicate that the total last year could be even lower.

According to Rob Gifford, executive director of the influential Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), the total numbers killed last year could be as low as 2,600.

“There are still questions about the quality of the data, but the figures are still very encouraging,” Gifford told delegates at a recent RoSPA road safety conference.

“It could be as low as 2,600 deaths in 2008.”This represents a major success for the Government, which set a target to cut the numbers killed and seriously injured by 40% from a baseline of 6,860 by the end of 2010.

In 2007 – three years before the end of the current road safety strategy – that target was almost reached after there was a 36% drop in the number of killed and seriously injured.

In terms of numbers killed it is predicted that last year’s total could be 1,000 fewer than the baseline average.

However, PACTS believes the Government should set a tougher target – something it is expected to do when it sets a new road safety strategy at the end of next year.

“We believe 1,000 deaths a year is a reasonable level to aim for,” said Gifford.

Achieving such a target would require a major drive to reduce the number of at-work drivers killed.

Roger Bibbings, RoSPA’s occupational safety adviser, said: “If employers address this issue as part of mainstream health and safety at work, not only will more workers go home safe at the end of the day but there will be a major drop in road casualty figures.”

Recognising this, the Government’s has introduced several measures aimed at tackling the number of at-work drivers who are involved in serious crashes.

It has also indicated that, in future, at-work driver safety will be a major part of its overall road safety strategy.

Expect compulsory life-long training and ‘van driver certificates’ to be introduced to improve at-work driving standards.

“This has been identified as a priority by employers and employees,” Nick Carter, Driving Standards Agency (DSA) director of strategy and performance, told the RoSPA conference.

Already the DSA is creating a Vocational Van Driving Unit.

Carter told fleet managers to also expect a focus on young drivers, who make up a disproportionate number of at-work driver deaths.

“We will be breaking new ground with this,” he said, indicating that the DSA wants post-test vocational driver qualifications that are recognised and utilised by fleet managers.

RoSPA has just completed research into young drivers at work and its findings will be used by the DSA to develop its strategy towards post-test learning for young at-work drivers.

Business drivers account for an estimated one-third of all road casualties – or currently 1,000 every year.

It is believed that last year’s reduction in road casualties is thanks in part to a drop in the number of crashes involving at-work drivers.

However, recognised failures in the way crashes are reported mean it is impossible to accurately determine how effective the Government and fleet managers’ at-work driver safety initiatives are.

RoSPA said it recognises that there are problems with the reliability of Government crash data, especially in identifying the number of at-work driver fatalities.

“RoSPA knows there is under-reporting,” said a spokesman.

“We don’t have the data we need.”

To try to resolve the problem of crash data, which is recorded on the police Stats 19 system, the Government is currently consulting with the industry and road safety organisations.

Much of the fall in casualty figures last year is also attributed to fewer miles being driven by the country’s motorists.

While there has been an increase in the number of vehicles on the road, there was a significant fall in the number of miles being driven as the full effect of high fuel prices was realised.

Fleets cut back on business mileage helping to drive the total down to 3.1 billion fewer miles last year covered by the UK’s motorists.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said the fall in road casualties is encouraging, but we would have to wait until the official figures are published in September before any further comment could be made.