Organisations which use digital technology processes are more likely to improve road risk than those which use paper-based systems, a new report has found.

The Driving Change: impact of technology in highways sector report, commissioned by MyMobileWorkers, found that two-thirds (67%) of tech-enabled businesses saw a fall in accidents or no accidents at all in the past 12 months – 50% more than the industry standard.

It also found that no businesses that use software to enforce process, track job progress and analyse job performance reported an increase in accidents in the past year, compared to 11% of other businesses.

The top measures listed to prevent accidents in the future were better safety training for workers, more detailed vehicle inspections and improved road quality.

Graham Whistance, managing director of MyMobileWorkers which commissioned the report, said: “With 39 million vehicles on the road in Great Britain, our network is being put under more strain than ever before, as are the businesses and workers that make up the sector.

“However, while maintaining our highways infrastructure is crucial, workforce safety must always be front of mind.

“There is no doubt a role for government legislation and regulation here, but what our research tells us that investment in digital technologies is giving businesses an opportunity to take extra control.

“By making the switch from paper-based to digital, highways companies are improving the safety of some 300,000 workers on the roads today, while also improving compliance, job performance and productivity.”

The research also found that using digital software improves business results and productivity.

Businesses in the highways sector that track the progress of their jobs using digital technology complete jobs in an average of 4.4 hours while vastly improving quality of work, more than 50% faster than those that use paper-based approaches.

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