Driving in the Workplace

Did you know in BC, motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death in the workplace?
That’s a daunting fact for those who drive for work or who employ people who drive for work.

Now, we’ve talked before about how aging can affect driving, so what does that mean for someone who drives for work?

What can I do as an employee?

Ultimately, YOU play the most important role in making sure you stay safe while on the road for work. As you age, your driving will be affected, regardless of your skill and experience. So, adjustments need to be made so you can continue to stay safe at work.

You can:

• Maintain good health
• Be aware of medical conditions/medications and drive accordingly
• Talk to your doctor about concerns
• Avoid all unnecessary distractions
• Practice defensive driving
• Never drive impaired by drugs, alcohol, sleep or medical conditions
• Refresh your driving skills, take a lesson!
• Use your vehicle’s safety features (seat belts, head restraints, etc)
• Get your eyes checked

What can I do as an employer?

As an employer, you’re responsible for making sure your employees are safe when they drive for work.

You can:

• Enforce driver safety policies that include:
• Using seat belts
• Avoiding distractions
• No drug or alcohol use
• Complying with speed limits
• Regular safety checks of all vehicles
• Promote driver safety through awareness campaigns
• Provide driver safety refresher courses
• Monitor your worker’s driving by regularly reviewing their driver medical reports and driver abstracts
• Incorporate regular screening of the abilities affected by aging and medical conditions

Why bother?

Whether you’re an employer or an employee, there are many benefits of focusing on driving in the workplace.

For the employee, you will:

• Decrease your risk of injury and death
• Stay driving for as long as possible
• Prevent higher insurance costs
• Decrease chance of causing a crash

For the employer, you will:

• Maintain productivity by decreasing time lost
• Reduce liability and insurance premiums - private and WSBC
• Improve public safety
• Reduce brand risk

At the end of the day, everyone wants to arrive home safely. As we talked about above, there are a lot of things you can do preemptively - and in the moment, to avoid a crash. People are working (and driving) for longer than ever before, so it’s especially important to talk to your employees/employer and make sure everyone is on the same page.