Driving at work is a major cause of work-related accidents around the world. It places a heavy toll on enterprises, the workers, governments and the society at large.

In France, for example, the French Institute for the prevention of occupational risks, the Institut national de recherche et de sécurité (INRS), devoted an entire section of its report “Facts&figures 2008” to Driving at Work and its consequences.

In 2008, some 20,000 accidents occurred in France out of the 4.5 million workers who drive a vehicle as part of their job. While driving, workers are also exposed to many other risks, such as physical, postural, chemical and psychosocial injuries.

To prevent road risks, a simplified safety and health message was prepared for non specialists, and companies produced a number of tools to further extend the prevention campaign. A series of four humorous silent animated films that encourage safe driving behaviour is viewable at: http://www.inrs.fr/news/drivingatwork.html.

On a general level, INRS has developed a training goals inventory to help OSH managers design and implement road risk prevention plans in companies and has made it a course part of its 2009 training catalogue.

For further information, please consult the website of the INRS, available both in French and English.

Equally, reducing accidents remains a crucial health and safety activity in the UK, and the government has clearly indicated that it intends to pursue a policy of reducing work-related road accidents, setting tough targets for companies to reach.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the United Kingdom organized a campaign to reduce the number of road accidents and has developed products which are available on its website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/roadsafety.

Further information may also be downloaded from various websites, including: http://www.youclaim.co.uk/Work-accident-work-related-road-accident-safety.htm.

Likewise, Canada places great importance on road safety. Following the success of their national road safety plan, "Road Safety Vision 2001", adopted in 1996, the Council of Ministers for Transportation and Highway Safety approved in 2000, a longer term successor plan, called "Road Safety Vision 2010".

The extended plan is intended to provide road safety stakeholders with broad-based benchmark data of key road safety indicators. In addition, it also recommends proactive prevention in all jurisdictions in Canada, such as innovative community policing protocols and public education campaigns to promote safe cycling. Achieving the targets set out by the plan would reduce road fatalities to less than 2.100 by 2010.

For further information please consult the Executive Summary of Canada’s Road Safety Targets to 2010 or other publications on Road Safety Vision 2010.