NETS: Off-The-Job Crashes Are Major Employer Cost

The USA's Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) is an employer-led public/private partnership dedicated to improving the safety and health of employees, their families, and members of the communities in which they live and work by preventing traffic crashes that occur both on- and off-the-job.

NETS has this week released a new Cost of Collisions Calculator, developed by NETS through a cooperative agreement with NHTSA, which can be utilised by employers* to measure their company’s cost of crashes.

Employers pay for injuries that occur both on and off the job. 

In the USA in 2013, motor vehicle crashes killed more than 1,600 people and injured 293,000 while they were working.  More than half of the injuries forced people to miss work. Overall, on-the-job crash injuries (fatal and non-fatal) amounted to about 7.5 percent of all crash injuries.

Motor vehicle crash injuries on and off the job cost employers $47.4 billion in 2013. Almost one half of this cost resulted from off-the-job injuries to workers and their dependents.

Knowing an occupational fleet’s costs enables management to develop a business case that supports an investment in fleet safety. Knowing the on- and off-the-job crash costs for all employees and their dependents provides employers with justification to invest in employee-wide safe driving programs.

Protecting employees from motor vehicle crash injury can be a profitable investment of
time and resources. Traffic safety programmes are an alternative to reduce health care
expenses to employers without reducing the benefits offered to employees. 

* Note: Aside from the Disclaimer on the NETS website, the Cost of crashes calculator and related report are clearly based on factors specific to the driving for work environment in the USA which may or may not apply in Ireland/UK.  It is advised that estimates provided by both the calculator and report are indicative, vary widely even by state and should be treated with a degree of caution

Source: NETS Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes To Employers
Cost of crashes calculator: (note: site is not secured by SSL)
NETS Membership information