The risk of road traffic crashes for occupational drivers: A responsibility study with comparison to the general population.
Nicolas Guibert, Jean-Louis Martin, Blandine Gadegbeku and 2 others
PMID 37718828WHAT IT FOUND
On-duty drivers had lower crash responsibility than those on personal trips, largely because they drank less alcohol.
However, temporary workers and light utility vehicle drivers faced significantly higher risk. Commuting to work was riskier than commuting home, especially on unfamiliar routes.
Key findings
01On-duty drivers had lower odds of being responsible for an accident compared to personal-journey drivers, but this protective effect disappeared after adjusting for alcohol consumption.
02Drivers on temporary or study/work contracts had an 11.64 times higher odds of being responsible for an accident while on duty compared to manual workers.
03Light utility vehicle drivers on duty had nearly four times the odds of being responsible for an accident compared to private car drivers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Responsibility was determined by expert panels without a standard written protocol, which may introduce subjective bias. The study relied on police reports, which may not capture all details of the accident or the driver's condition prior to the crash. The control group consisted of drivers involved in accidents but not deemed responsible, which assumes they represent the general driving population, a premise that is difficult to verify. Data on some variables had up to 25% missing values, which were imputed, potentially affecting precision.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study used data from the VOIESUR project, which is funded by public agencies and insurance companies, but the text does not specify direct author funding or sponsorship influence on the analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that professional drivers are inherently safer drivers. The lower accident responsibility among on-duty drivers was primarily due to lower alcohol consumption, not superior driving skill or safety culture, as the effect disappeared when alcohol was accounted for.