Employees that use company vehicles need to be worried about more than getting to their destination on time and having proper business auto insurance. Insurance helps protect your business from costs associated with a vehicle accident, but having an accident can injure workers and bystanders and additionally raise the cost of insurance. It’s important to let your workers know the most common causes of auto accidents, and work hard to prevent them whenever possible. Worker driver safety is extremely important when company vehicles are used for business.
Causes of Work-Related Vehicle Accidents
There are a variety of reasons a vehicle accident occurs, many of which can be prevented. The following are the most common causes of work-related vehicle accidents:
Distracted Driving
Your workers need to be paying attention to the road — and their driving in general — at all times in order to avoid accidents as a result of distractions. There are a lot of things that can get in the way of a driver’s concentration including using their cell phone, changing the radio station, talking to the person next to or behind them in the car, eating, reading a map or newspaper, or anything else that keeps their focus and eyes off the road even for a few seconds.
Drowsy Driving
Many work-related accidents are caused by drowsy driving when the employee has not had enough sleep or it is near the end of their day and they are too tired to pay attention to their driving. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 100,000 car accidents each year are caused by drowsiness and tiredness, which includes 40,000 injured persons, and the loss of 1,550 people. Some employees are at a higher risk of drowsy-related vehicle accidents including workers who work the third shift (overnight), workers that drive for their job most of the day, those with sleep disorders, and workers who take sedatives before driving the company vehicle.
Drunk Driving
Unfortunately, some work-related car accidents are a result of an impaired driver, such as one that is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Being intoxicated removes the ability to react quickly, which also impacts the ability to think ahead and focus on safe driving. If an employee is on the road with a drunk driver, they are subjected to driving away from that person in hopes they can avoid an accident, but this isn’t always possible. If a worker sees a driver who is weaving, swerving, and driving nonsensically, it can be a sign of a drunk driver and that person should be avoided.
There are many reasons for work-related accidents in the company vehicle; however these are the most common causes. Work driver safety is extremely important when you’re employees are responsible for using a vehicle for business errands, and should be aware of how best to protect themselves from auto accidents. Always be sure you have adequate business auto insurance.
