Part 5
Road risks and driving for work
Driving for work is one of the deadliest routine tasks. Roadway incidents account for roughly 22–25% of all work-related deaths annually in the U.S. (1,252 worker deaths in 2023). Lone and mobile workers (truck, delivery, taxi/ride-hail, sales/service, utilities, emergency response) are heavily exposed, with fatigue, distraction, poor weather/infrastructure, and vehicle condition as recurring factors.
Example cases:
Extreme fatigue
A milk tanker, operated under an agricultural hours-of-service exemption, struck queued traffic at speed; 4 killed, 11 injured. Probable cause: driver fatigue.
Snow-squall pile-up
80 vehicles (incl. 39 trucks) crashed in a sudden whiteout. There were 6 deaths and dozens injured. Snow squalls can erase visibility in seconds and slick the road, triggering chain-reaction crashes, leaving solo HGV/service drivers with little backup or margin.
Dust storm whiteout
A blinding dust storm on a highway in central Illinois caused a chain-reaction pile-up involving 72 vehicles, killing 7–8 people and injuring dozens. High winds lofted soil from nearby fields, dropping visibility to near zero. This is an example of an extreme hazard for lone HGV and service drivers with no immediate backup.
Mitigation strategies:
Plan the journey, not just the destination: Apply a “safe driver, safe vehicle, safe journey” risk assessment for every driving task (route, timing, weather, traffic, comms, rest stops).
Manage fatigue like a critical risk: Enforce Hours-of-Service/tachograph rules; schedule rest (breaks at least every 2 hours), avoid 02:00–06:00 runs where possible; deploy fatigue risk management (training, monitoring, no-blame stop-work).
Zero tolerance for distraction: Ban texting/handheld use; discourage “business” calls while driving (even hands-free); use tech/app locks and policy enforcement.
Weather and infrastructure controls: Define go/no-go triggers (snow squalls, flooding, high winds); adapt speed, spacing, and routes; brief on roadworks and poor-shoulder stretches; allow schedule slack.
Vehicle safety & maintenance: Daily defect checks; prompt repairs; verify loads and securement. Fit/enable AEB, FCW, LDW/LKA, ESC, blind-spot systems and seat-belt interlocks; track risky events via telematics for coaching.
Protect lone drivers: Use lone-worker apps/devices with GPS, man-down/impact detection, timed check-ins, SOS linked to a 24/7 response cener; mandate check-in/out protocols and carry emergency kits.
Emergency readiness & aftercare: Provide breakdown/crash procedures (scene safety, triangles, comms tree); enable auto-alerts from telematics after severe impacts; investigate every incident/near-miss and offer post-crash psychological support.
Build competence and culture: Defensive-driving training, induction/refresher talks, and clear accountability; use data (CDC/NIOSH, HSE, EU) to target interventions for high-risk groups and routes.
