What is the government doing?

As part of the Government's road safety strategy, it set up an independent Work-related Road Safety Task Group.

In 2002, the Task Force issued a wide range of recommendations, including:

• Employers should adopt the risk assessment approach to at-work road safety, in much the same way as they tackle any other workplace risks. Employers should use their risk assessments to make sure their employees are competent to drive, or work on the roadside, safely.
• Managers should provide training on at-work road safety.
• The police should ask questions about journey purpose when investigating traffic accidents.
• The police should use their powers to pursue employers who fail to meet their responsibilities under road traffic law.
• The HSC should investigate better data collection of at-work road injuries.

The HSC says it is committed to issuing at-work road risk guidance for employers by 2004. It supports a stronger role for the police, and wants employers to manage at-work road safety within their existing health and safety management arrangements.