Driving for work continues to pose substantial risks on UK roads. In 2025, 445 people died in collisions involving drivers working at the time, representing 29% of all road fatalities. There were also more than 22,000 reported crashes involving at least one work driver or rider.
Fatigue: a hidden danger
Fatigue is not always visible but directly affects driver safety. Research conducted by Third Pillar of Health with support from National Highways’ Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team and Driving for Better Business studied 153 drivers over 985 working days. It found the average sleep before work was six hours and 37 minutes. Nearly half of participants slept less than the recommended seven hours per night. Over a week or shift cycle, 78% accumulated a sleep debt.
Sleepiness affected 65% of participants regularly during work, with 31% saying it interfered with their duties. Those driving light commercial vehicles reported the highest fatigue levels. This confirms fatigue management must extend beyond professional drivers. Staff travelling for deliveries, between sites or to meet clients face the same dangers.
Fleet managers should integrate fatigue checks into journey planning, working hours and break scheduling. Drivers need to feel able to report tiredness without fear of pressure to continue driving.
Vehicle condition remains critical
New or recently serviced vehicles are not automatically safe. TyreSafe’s analysis of Department for Transport data reveals 201 people were killed or seriously injured in 2025 due to defective tyres alone. This was a 19% increase on the previous year and 38% above the five-year average.
Basic vehicle checks should form part of daily fleet routines instead of relying solely on scheduled maintenance and MOT tests. Driving for Better Business offers vehicle roadworthiness guidance to help employers manage maintenance and ensure drivers understand how to inspect and report defects.
Drivers must know their pre-journey checks and the protocol if they find faults. Fleet managers should establish clear reporting and prevent vehicles with safety-critical defects from being used.
Safety technology supports, not replaces, the driver
Modern vehicles often include systems such as autonomous emergency braking and collision warnings. National Highways research has shown these technologies react differently depending on vehicle type and collision scenario.
Drivers should not rely solely on technology for safety. They must maintain safe following distances and stay alert. Understanding when safety systems activate and their limitations is vital.
Fleet managers must ensure driver training covers vehicle safety technology comprehensively.
Looking beyond the obvious risks
Addressing obvious behaviours like speeding and phone use is important but not enough. The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance advises considering three factors: the driver, the vehicle, and the journey.
This approach encourages evaluating fatigue, distraction, vehicle condition and time pressures as hazards. Fleet managers should ask if journeys are realistically planned, if maintenance is thorough, if drivers understand their vehicle’s safety systems, and if processes exist to report unfit-to-drive concerns.
Tackling these less visible risks can strengthen road safety culture and reduce incidents involving work drivers. Taking a broader view helps protect employees and other road users alike.
The full IAM RoadSmart webinar 'Hidden Dangers: The Road Risks We Don’t Talk About Enough' is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw7Xea7QAyc.
