FACTS

1. Every year people are killed or seriously injured in accidents involving workplace transport. Accidents that do not involve personal injury can result in damage to property, equipment, and the vehicle itself.
2. Transportation accidents are a major cause of work injuries.
3. When on-the-job traffic accidents do occur, they are more likely than other work accidents to result in severe or fatal injuries. These accidents tend to require longer recovery periods for those who are severely or fatally injured.
4. Professional drivers are more likely to receive in-depth training on driver safety issues and thus may be less vulnerable to collisions. Another factor may be that people who drive infrequently for work may tend to be less familiar with their surroundings and thus more likely to be involved in a crash.
5. Injuries caused by on-the-job traffic crashes tend to be more severe and long-lasting than other types of occupational accidents, especially since they involve a high frequency of head, neck, and back injuries.

STATS

• Motor vehicle accidents are a top cause of death and disability in the US and, unfortunately, these incidents can occur at work just as easily as when you are driving for personal reasons. For Canadians under 45, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of both death and hospitalization.
• According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were 4,764 fatal work injuries in 2020; of these deaths, 1,778 were employees killed in transportation collisions. 15,799 disabling injuries occurred on Canadian job sites in 2020.
• Vehicle crashes account for 37.3 percent of all worker fatalities, making them the most frequent deadly event among all types of workplaces and industries.
• The figures for 2020 may have been affected by COVID-19 pandemic, but data from 2016 through 2019 also puts traffic crashes as the top reason for fatalities at work.
• Though 2020 fatalities were at their lowest number since 2013, there are still thousands of employees and families affected by work-related transportation accidents every day.