Every year, workers are seriously injured or killed in preventable motor vehicle crashes. Whether employees drive company vehicles, operate fleet trucks, or use personal cars for business, roadway incidents remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities. A strong motor vehicle safety program saves lives, protects your workforce, and controls the cost of a claim before it ever happens.

At Berkley Industrial Comp, workers’ compensation is all we do. That means we see firsthand how one preventable crash can change a company, a family, and a career. Here is what every employer in a high hazard industry should know.

Why Is Motor Vehicle Safety Important in the Workplace?

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of work related fatalities in the United States. The numbers tell the story:

• Roadway incidents accounted for 38% of all workplace deaths in 2024, totaling 1,937 fatal transportation incidents.
• Work related motor vehicle crashes cost U.S. employers an estimated $39 billion each year.
• The average nonfatal crash injury costs $75,000. A fatality averages $751,000 in direct and indirect costs.
• Distracted driving injures 18 people every 30 minutes and kills approximately one person every 2.5 hours.
• DOT and FMCSA violations can result in significant fines, driver disqualification, and higher insurance costs.

OSHA reports that roadway crashes cause more workplace fatalities than falls, struck by incidents, and electrocution combined.

What Are the Leading Causes of Work Related Vehicle Crashes?

Understanding the top risks is the first step toward prevention. The most common causes include:

• Distracted driving: Cell phone use, texting, eating, adjusting GPS, or reaching for objects while driving.
• Driver fatigue: Long shifts, early start times, overnight travel, and demanding schedules that impair reaction time and judgment.
• Speeding and aggressive driving: Tight deadlines and heavy workloads that pressure employees to take risks.
• Failure to wear seat belts: The single most effective protection in a crash, yet often ignored.
• Poor vehicle maintenance: Bald tires, worn brakes, broken lights, and deferred service.
• Impaired driving: Alcohol, prescription medications, and illicit substances that affect reaction time and decision making.

How Can Employers Improve Motor Vehicle Safety?

A strong motor vehicle safety program is built on written policy, consistent training, and daily accountability. Here are the key steps every employer should take:

• Establish a written motor vehicle safety policy. Cover distracted driving, seat belt use, speed limits, impaired driving, accident reporting, and hours of service compliance. Review it annually.
• Enforce mandatory seat belt use. Every trip, every time, drivers and passengers. No exceptions.
• Eliminate distracted driving. Prohibit cell phones and portable electronic devices while operating a vehicle. Make sure company practices do not require drivers to take calls or check emails on the road.
• Train drivers at hire and throughout their career. Provide defensive driving training specific to the vehicles employees operate. Employees driving commercial vehicles or towing must receive specialized training under FMCSA requirements.
• Maintain vehicles on a preventive schedule. Require pretrip vehicle inspections and remove unsafe vehicles from service immediately.
• Verify licensing and monitor driving records. Confirm all employees hold valid licenses for the vehicles they operate. Review Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs) at hire and periodically to identify at risk drivers.
• Manage fatigue and scheduling. Build schedules that allow safe speeds and hours of service compliance. Encourage breaks on long drives without penalty.

What Are the Most Common Mistakes Companies Make?

Even well intentioned safety programs can fall short. Watch for these frequent gaps:

• Assuming motor vehicle safety only applies to fleet or CDL drivers. Any employee who drives for work is at risk.
• Allowing “quick” phone use behind the wheel. Even hands free calls significantly reduce attention.
• Operating without a written motor vehicle safety policy, or enforcing it inconsistently.
• Skipping pretrip inspections or deferring vehicle maintenance.
• Failing to review MVRs after the initial hire. Driving records change over time.
• Setting delivery expectations that pressure employees to speed or skip rest.

What Does a Real World Motor Vehicle Incident Look Like?

In 2024, a delivery driver was fatally injured in a rear end collision while checking a route on his phone. The investigation revealed the company had no distracted driving policy and no documented driver training program. This tragedy underscores why motor vehicle safety programs are non negotiable.

What Can Employees Do to Stay Safe on the Road?

Every trip starts with a choice. Employees play a direct role in preventing crashes:

• Buckle up every time. It takes two seconds and is the simplest thing you can do to protect yourself.
• Put the phone away. No call, text, or email is worth your life or someone else’s.
• Complete your pretrip inspection. Report vehicle defects immediately.
• Speak up. If you are too fatigued to drive, if a vehicle needs maintenance, or if schedules are forcing unsafe decisions, say something.

Did You Know?

• Roadway crashes cause more workplace fatalities than any other single cause, surpassing falls, struck by incidents, and electrocution combined.
• The most common work related motor vehicle incidents involve passenger vehicles on public roads, not just commercial trucks or heavy equipment.

The Bottom Line

Every trip starts with a choice. Buckle Up . Put the phone down. Slow down. Get there safely, every time.

A written policy, consistent training, and honest conversations about risk protect your people and your business. When you invest in motor vehicle safety, you reduce claim frequency, lower severity, and build a workforce that goes home to their families at the end of every shift.

How Can Berkley Industrial Comp Help?

Berkley Industrial Comp is a specialty workers’ compensation carrier focused exclusively on complex, high hazard industries. Our underwriting, claims, and risk services teams work together to help agents and policyholders build safer workplaces from submission to renewal.

Download the full Motor Vehicle Safety white paper for a complete guide to building your program, including policy language, training checklists, and pretrip inspection resources.