Why road safety matters

For employers in BC, road safety matters for safety, legal, financial, and ethical reasons. Driving may be one of the most dangerous things your employees do at work. Reducing the risks is your legal responsibility and helps protect your staff and your business. Learn why road safety is one of the most important investments your organization can make.

Driving for work is dangerous

Road safety matters to you because driving may be riskiest thing your employees do on the job. Crashes kill more employees in BC than any other traumatic work-related cause.

Most crashes are preventable

Road safety also matters to you because most crashes are avoidable. They’re often the result of driver error, which can be prevented through education, training, and supervision.

Building a road safety plan is a vital step in crash prevention. Learn more about how to build your road safety plan by using our template. Use our Road Safety Planner as your guide. The Planner suggests “basic, better, and best” activities you can complete.

You can search our Resource Library for tailgate meeting guides, checklists, forms, guides, quizzes, and other tools.

Why Your Business Needs Road Safety video

High risk jobs for driving

Driving for work puts employees at risk every time they’re behind the wheel. The more time they spend on the road, the greater the chances of them being involved in a crash.

The occupations with the most claims for driving-related injury according to WorkSafeBC statistics are:

• Transport and truck drivers
• Delivery and courier service drivers
• Bus drivers, subway operators, and other transit operators
• Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient services associates
• Social and community service workers
• Construction trades helpers and labourers 

Road safety is your legal responsibility

Road safety also matters to your organization because it’s required by BC law.

Any vehicle used for work purposes, even if it’s owned by an employee, is considered a workplace. That means employers have occupational health and safety responsibilities whenever an employee is driving or riding in a work vehicle. The rules apply whether driving is done full time, part time, or only once in a while.

Among other things, you need to conduct driving-related risk assessments, develop safe driving policies, provide training and supervision, and ensure vehicles are properly maintained.

Learn more about the requirements, and how to comply with them, by reviewing our Road Safety Legal Responsibilities Tool Kit.

You also have safety responsibilities when employees work at or along the roadside. Learn what employers and supervisors need to know when staff work around traffic.

Road safety protects your best asset: employees

Another reason road safety matters so much is that every employee deserves to get home safe at the end of the day.

Road safety helps them do that, making it the right thing to do. It also shows employees that you value their well-being.

After all, crashes don’t just affect vehicles. They also affect lives. When an employee is injured or killed in a work-related crash, the impact ripples through their family, co-workers, and your community. By emphasizing road safety, you can help reduce the risk of trauma, emotional stress, and loss that can affect your entire team.

You’re also helping to protect everyone who uses the road: other drivers, passengers, roadside workers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Road safety is smart business

Road safety also matters because it benefits every organization’s bottom line.

When crashes happen, expenses increase while productivity and morale often decrease. Preventing crashes helps avoid these problems. Use our Motor Vehicle Incident Cost Calculator to estimate how much money your organization can save by investing in road safety.

Preventing crashes creates a return on investment in other ways too:

• It can result in lower insurance and WorkSafeBC premiums.
• It can reduce repair bills.
• It can help you avoid staff shortages by keeping employees healthy and at work.
• It can help you attract and retain staff, thanks to a strong safety record.
• It can help preserve your organization’s reputation by avoiding negative publicity linked to crashes.

Road safety helps create a robust workplace culture

Road safety also matters because it reflects your organization’s safety culture.

Creating a safety culture that recognizes crashes are preventable depends on genuine commitment from the management team. When leaders show their dedication to minimizing crash risks, employees are more likely to take road safety seriously.

Your management team can build a stronger road safety culture by:

• Leading by example, consistently demonstrating safe driving behaviours
• Taking an active role in advocating and leading road safety initiatives, and making sure resources are available to support road safety goals
• Talking with employees about road safety, encouraging their participation in road safety planning, and ensuring they receive the training necessary to develop strong driving competencies
• Requiring that managers and supervisors talk about road safety in tailgate meetings
• Ensuring work assignments and expectations are aligned with safe driving policies and procedures
• Supporting and incentivizing employees to know and follow safe driving rules

Use our survey-style Road Safety Snapshot to gain insights into your organization’s current safety culture. Have employees complete the survey every 2 or 3 years and compare results.

For more tips, review our Driving Toward a Stronger Road Safety Culture webinar.

Resources