OP/ED: A call to action for changing our driving behaviours
By Letters to the editor
By Trace Acres
Every year, thousands of lives are lost or irrevocably changed due to vehicle crashes. Behind these tragic statistics are the real stories of families left grieving, communities disrupted, and futures stolen.
On November 20, we pause on National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims to honour those lost. We also need to reflect on how we can prevent future tragedies. This day should not only be a moment of mourning but a call to action.
Driving safety is everyone’s responsibility. It doesn’t matter whether you drive for work or pleasure or are an employer with staff who drive as part of their job. We all have a role to play.
Road safety is about more than following the law. It’s about protecting human life and dignity. Everyone on the road — from drivers to pedestrians to cyclists to crews working at the roadside — deserves to get home healthy.
Driving on the job is an overlooked risk
At Road Safety at Work, we focus on work-related driving. It’s an activity that’s often overlooked by employers and employees alike. Yet hundreds of thousands of British Columbians drive on the job every day. Most don’t think of themselves as “work drivers” because those words aren’t in their job title or job description.
Yet any driving done as part of your job counts as work-related driving, even if you do it in your own vehicle. You may drive occasionally to pick up office supplies. You may do it part time to make sales calls or travel between job sites. Or you may do it full time, making deliveries. These are just a few of the hundreds of examples of driving for work.
Regardless of how often you do it, driving may be the most dangerous thing you do on the job.
Work-related driving remains the leading cause of traumatic work-related death in this province. WorkSafeBC statistics show that an average of 18 workers died and 1,631 were injured in crashes in each of the last five years.
This devastating toll is not just a series of numbers. Each statistic represents a person. And the ripple effects of crashes extend far beyond the immediate victims. Families lose loved ones. Workers are disabled. Communities suffer.
Making this even more devastating is a simple fact: Most crashes are entirely preventable.
We all have a responsibility to make driving safer
Most crashes are the result of driver error. Speeding, using your phone, and driving while impaired are among the leading contributors to crashes in BC. They also have another thing in common: They are all choices we make.
By making different choices we can expect to see different outcomes. We can reduce the number of driving-related injuries and fatalities. We can see more people get back home, safe and healthy, after being on the road.
All it takes is a willingness to change our behaviours.
Use National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims as the catalyst for a conversation in your workplace and in your home.
If you employ people who do any work-related driving, learn and comply with your legal responsibilities for their safety. It’s not enough to assume that someone with a driver’s licence is equipped to handle hazardous driving conditions. Take proactive steps to minimize the risks.
If you do any work-related driving, know your rights and responsibilities, including your right to refuse unsafe work.
And regardless of your reason for driving, take personal accountability for your behaviour on the road. Slow down and leave your phone alone. Postpone driving when conditions are poor, if possible. If you’re overly fatigued or not fit to drive safely for any other reason, don’t get behind the wheel.
Ultimately, it’s about each of us making a commitment to road safety every time we put our key in the ignition.
Trace Acres is program director for Road Safety at Work, a WorkSafeBC Injury Reduction Initiative managed by the Justice Institute of BC. For more information, visit RoadSafetyAtWork.ca.
