How to Avoid a Motor Vehicle Collision at Work
Did you know that in the United States, motor vehicle collisions are the number one cause of death in the workplace1? That’s a daunting fact for those who drive for work or who employ people who drive for work. Multiple factors can affect your ability to drive safely, including trauma, e.g. motor vehicle collision, medical conditions, and aging. What does that mean for someone who drives for work2?
Prevent a Motor Vehicle Collision from Workplace Driving
What can I do as an employee?
Ultimately, YOU play the most important role in making sure you stay safe while on the road for work. Regardless of your skill and experience, adjustments may need to be made so you can continue to stay safe at work.
Follow these critical steps to decrease your risk of a motor vehicle collision.
- Maintain good health including mental health
- Be aware of medical conditions/medications and drive accordingly.
- Talk to your doctor about concerns.
- Avoid all unnecessary distractions.
- Practice defensive driving.
- Never drive impaired by drugs, alcohol, sleep, or medical conditions.
- Refresh your driving skills, and take a lesson!
- Use your vehicle’s safety features (seat belts, head restraints, etc.).
- Get your eyes checked.
- Getting appropriate treatment for anxiety and stress after a trauma
What can I do as an employer?
As an employer, you’re responsible for making sure your employees are safe when they drive for work.
- Enforce driver safety policies that include:
- Using seat belts
- Avoiding distractions
- No drug or alcohol use
- Complying with speed limits
- Regular safety checks of all vehicles
- Promote driver safety through awareness campaigns
- Provide driver safety refresher courses
- Monitor your worker’s driving by regularly reviewing their driver medical reports and driver abstracts
- Incorporate regular screening of the abilities affected by aging and medical conditions
- Support drivers to get assessment and treatment after experiencing a motor vehicle collision or other trauma
When a Motor Vehicle Collision Does Happen
In addition to physical injuries, motor vehicle collisions can result in invisible injuries like anxiety, stress and concussion. Invisible injuries are often missed or ignored. However, they can have a serious impact a person’s ability to drive safely.
If you or one of your employees has been involved in a motor vehicle collision while working it’s critical to get medical support and treatment as soon as possible to avoid long term issues like PTSD. Appropriate and early interventions will also decrease the risk of more workplace accidents. Talk to your PCP or mental health professional about getting the appropriate assessments to determine if you have sustained an invisible injury e.g., psychological injury or a concussion.
Why bother?
Whether you’re an employer or an employee, there are many benefits of focusing on driving in the workplace. At the end of the day, everyone wants to arrive home safely. As we talked about above, there are a lot of things you can do preemptively – and in the moment, to avoid a motor vehicle collision. There are also things you can do when a motor vehicle collision happens to support safety in the workplace. People are working (and driving) for longer than ever before, so it’s especially important to talk to your employees/employer and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Learn more about neuropsychological screenings available. For more information on psychological injuries like PTSD after a motor vehicle collision, contact the expert team at Agile Screening.
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