FACTS
- Implementing a driver safety program will help your organization keep employees safer.
- Getting behind the wheel of your car may seem like a commonplace event, but it is likely to be the most dangerous thing you will do all day long. In the U.S., car accidents are the fifth leading cause of death.
- You can’t control the actions of other motorists, but you have a great deal of control over how you operate your vehicle. That means you can increase your chances for a safe trip by taking necessary precautions.
- Every time employees get behind the wheel, they need to remember the importance of using defensive driving techniques.
- Motor vehicle accidents are the major cause of occupational deaths. Most vehicle accidents are the result of driver error or poor operating practices. Drivers assume responsibility for their own safety and that of others.
STATS
- Motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of accidental death in the United States. They are also the most common cause of workplace deaths, representing about one in four fatal work injuries.
- Every 12 minutes someone dies in a motor vehicle crash, every 10 seconds an injury occurs, and every 5 seconds a crash occurs.
- Motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually. When a worker dies in a traffic accident, costs can exceed $500,000.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the 1st or 2nd leading cause of death in every major industry group.
- In 2017, 1,299 U.S. workers driving or riding in a motor vehicle on a public road died in a work-related crash (25% of all work-related deaths).
- The highest proportion of roadway fatalities involved semi, tractor-trailer, and tanker trucks (38%), followed by pickup trucks (14%), delivery trucks/vans (11%) and automobiles (9%).
- An additional 522 deaths in 2017 (10% of all work-related deaths) involved workers driving or riding in a motor vehicle off a public road, or pedestrians struck by motor vehicles.
- More than 1 in 3 long-haul truck drivers have experienced a serious truck crash during their career.