Road safety advocates are now calling for employers to take action to ensure employees are safe and not putting others in danger.

"It is appalling so many people who drive in a professional capacity are taking such horrendous and unnecessary risks, doing things we all know are unbelievably dangerous behind the wheel," said Brake's Deputy Chief Executive Julie Townsend. "People who drive as part of their job should be taking great care to stay within the law and not put people in danger, but according to these results, at-work drivers are more likely to take many deadly risks than other drivers. We are urging all employers to ensure they have comprehensive safe driving policies in place and that staff know the importance of not speeding."


According to the Department for Transport, around 30 per cent of journeys on Britain's roads are made by drivers who are at work and the government estimates these drivers are 30 to 40 per cent more likely to be involved in a crash than ordinary road users.

Every week, ten people die on our roads, with another 100 injured by people driving to earn their living.

Bedfordshire's Michael Bird is calling on everyone who drives for a living to stay well within speed limits and stay alert on the road. His wife Elizabeth, 52, was killed by a speeding truck driver in July 2010, while they were on their way to the Norfolk coast for a holiday.

They were slowing down along with other cars in heavy traffic to avoid a hazard in the left hand lane of the A47 when a lorry smashed into their car from behind. The speed limit for the vehicle was 50mph, but the driver of the lorry, Simon Bothamley, was later found to have been driving at 56mph when he crashed into Michael and Elizabeth's car. Elizabeth was killed instantly. The lorry continued to smash into two more cars before the brakes were finally applied. No other life threatening injuries were sustained in the crash.

Norwich Crown Court sentenced Bothamley to six years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving. One PC even described the scene "of utter carnage and devastation" involving five other cars apart from the Birds'.

Mr Bird said: "For me, our children and the wider family we have managed to cope with our loss but we miss her in so many ways it's hard to describe. So my plea to everyone out there reading this - please stay well within speed limits and pay attention whilst driving. If you don't, it can lead to fatal accidents and perhaps long prison sentences. I really hope the driver is able to face the consequences of his actions, which led to such a tragic event and the loss of dearest Liz."

When the government is considering raising the speed limit for some heavy goods vehicles on certain roads by between five to ten miles per hour, it seems insensitive, as the large loss of life incurred by many is the result of not ordinary people but those who drive for their work: primarily lorry drivers.

A blunt and honest Ms Townsend concluded: "We are calling on anyone who drives for work to make a commitment to stay within speed limits, stay off the phone, and focused on the critical task at hand."