Driving is one of the riskiest work tasks, accounting for around one third of fatal crashes in the UK. Organisations are expected to manage work-related road safety (WRRS) in the same way that they manage other health and safety risks. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Department for Transport (DFT) issue joint guidance on this in INDG382 ‘Driving at work: managing work-related road safety’.
HSE and DFT were seeking to update INDG382 to include reference to vehicle safety technologies that could enable employers to monitor safety related events or driver behaviours, to support learning and safety improvements. They commissioned TRL to -
- Conduct a literature review focused on evaluations of the impact of these technologies on work-related road safety (specifically, crash risk)
- Lead in-depth interviews with representatives of organisations who had implemented technology-based safety monitoring in their fleet and stakeholders and experts who provided further insights into factors affecting successful implementation.
TRL found that telematics systems, drowsiness and distraction recognition systems, and collision warning systems have significant potential safety benefits, but rigorous published evaluation of safety-focused telematics in the fleet context is limited. There is good evidence for the safety benefits of intelligent speed assist in private and fleet vehicles. Successful implementation relies on procuring systems that match needs, managing the potential for data to overwhelm and embedding monitoring and driver feedback within good management systems and strong safety leadership.
This report provides recommendations for updating guidance for organisations considering implementing vehicle safety monitoring technologies (telematics).
Current HSE guidance is located here.
