One in four drivers involved in fatal road collisions were driving for work - RSA

Eva Osborne

Research presented on Thursday by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) shows that one quarter of all drivers involved in fatal road collisions over the past five years were driving for work.

Those drivers were typically male and aged between 36-55, with half of them driving HGVs, according to the analysis which covers the years 2019 to 2023.

HGVs represented 11 per cent of vehicles involved in fatal road collisions. In most of these collisions, either the driver of the other vehicle or a pedestrian was killed.

Sarah O’Connor, director of partnerships and external affairs at the RSA, said: “Our survey data shows significantly higher levels of engagement in all dangerous behaviours among those who drive for work, including concerning levels of observed speeding among HGV drivers on 100km/h roads.

"Education and awareness around safe driving behaviours are needed for all those who drive for work, and not just HGV and van drivers.”

Driving for work includes any person who drives on public roads as part of their job in a company vehicle, or in their own privately-owned vehicle.

It includes truck and van drivers, bus, coach and taxi drivers, utility company employees and service engineers, sales, marketing and delivery staff.

According to the RSA’s Driver Attitude & Behaviour Survey 2023, a nationally representative survey of motorists commissioned by the RSA, 25 per cent of motorists drive as part of their work.

Among those who drive for work, two thirds are male, and 73 per cent are aged between 17 and 49 years. Just over three quarters drive a car, while 23 per cent use other types of vehicles.