A risk management company is calling for more thorough investigations of road crashes involving people driving for work following claims in Parliament that government statistics were an "understimate".
The driver training company has spoken out following comments made in the House of Commons. Responding to a parliamentary question, Meg Munn, Labour MP for Sheffield Heeley referred to Department for Transport figures on work-related road deaths and injuries.
Referring to the fact that deaths and injuries resulting from such accidents are not counted as workplace deaths and injuries, she said that a "full picture" is not being provided. "We do not know enough about why and how people at work die on the road, or how many members of the public are killed by people who drive for a living," Ms Munn said.
John Davidge, head of fleet technical at Cardinus Risk Management, said: "Clearly there is an increasing desire for more thorough investigations into fatal or serious work-related collisions.
"Those businesses who do not have in place a fully structured programme for managing road safety at work are not only more likely to be involved, but are also more likely to be prosecuted if found wanting.
"More-enlightened employers have long-realised that actively encouraging safety and requiring higher standards from drivers leads to significant cost savings and a programme that pays for itself in many ways, and those business that do not understand the benefits and the advantages are missing out on opportunities.
"Cardinus Risk Management has been at the forefront of helping both large and small organisations to structure programmes to reduce road risks – both directly, and in conjunction with major UK insurers. If the investigation of collisions and any resulting deaths and injuries is approached in the same way as workplace incidents, employers must show that they have taken occupational road risk very seriously indeed."
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