Fleet drivers are essential to running a smooth and profitable business. Whether moving supplies or delivering products, the importance of this role in companies cannot be understated.
Like all drivers, the risk of road crashes or accidents remains, so fleet insurance is a must. Fleet insurance is an important policy to have, ensuring coverage in the event of a casualty and maintaining driver’s safety.
That’s why we at Insurance Revolution have explored the statistics surrounding casualties and fatalities among fleet drivers, highlighting the importance of fleet insurance and examining how these numbers compare to other types of road vehicles.
To do this, we analysed Government data on reported road casualties and fatalities and compared these numbers throughout the years to emphasise how vital having a business fleet insurance policy is.
Methodology
We analysed government data on road casualties reported annually in Great Britain between 2012 and 2021.
We used the data to highlight injury statistics on the road by vehicle type. We examined the ‘Goods Vehicle Occupants’ statistics to investigate the number of fleet and delivery drivers reporting accidents. We looked at KSI (killed or seriously injured) adjusted and all casualty data.
The importance of fleet insurance
Before we examine the statistics surrounding fleet accidents, we should first explore why having business fleet insurance is important if you operate multiple vehicles. This type of coverage is not limited to operators boasting a lot of vehicles; any company looking to cover upwards of 2 vehicles could opt for a fleet insurance policy that suits their requirements. This is also true if you have access to several different types of vehicles, which is why commercial fleet insurance can be so beneficial.
Fleet insurance benefits include allowing companies to operate more flexibly. Many standard fleet insurance policies can be upgraded to an ‘any driver fleet insurance policy’, meaning the vehicle is insured rather than the drivers.
This allows businesses to utilise qualified drivers rather than specifically insured operators. Therefore, if an employee is to call in sick or be replaced, the fleet insurance policy would not need to be amended as drivers are not named on the insurance itself as long as the business is happy they are able to drive.
Fleet insurance benefits businesses, which is why it’s important to explore the different business fleet insurance policies on the market. These commercial fleet insurance policies are an easy way of insuring multiple vehicles at the same time, even if you have different vehicle types on the road. Rather than seeking individual insurance for each car or van, a company could have all fleet vehicles insured on the same fleet insurance policy. This makes renewal a much quicker and easier process while proving cost-effective in comparison to individual insurance.
If a business opts for an over-30 policy but has a driver under this age, it would simply have to register this particular employee as a named driver.
Lastly, although it should go without saying, fleet insurance is essential to ensuring businesses are covered in the event of an unavoidable accident. It leaves firms feeling assured, knowing that their vehicles are substantially protected.
Fleet crash statistics
Now that we’ve examined the importance of fleet insurance to businesses, let’s analyse the data on how many goods vehicle occupants were killed or seriously injured between 2012 and 2021.
The statistics are broken into three sections: killed, KSI adjusted (killed or seriously injured), and all casualties. This allows us to visualise the number of accidents and the unfortunate number of fatalities that followed as a result.
Examining the number of goods vehicle occupants killed reveals that at least 50 drivers had died annually between 2012-2021, the only exception being in 2014 when this number dropped slightly to 47. Despite this statistic reaching its lowest that year, there were still 872 drivers seriously injured.
The data shows that 2016 and 2019 were the worst years on record for fleet driver fatalities, with both years seeing 66 drivers die as a result of road accidents. These numbers dropped ever so slightly in the previous two years, with 54 reported fatalities in 2020 and 58 in 2021.
Although 2014 was highlighted as the year with the fewest fatalities among fleet drivers, it proved to be the second-worst for seriously injured and the worst for all casualties among goods vehicle occupants (6,326). In fact, it was one of only two years that recorded over 6,000 casualties, alongside 2015, which saw 6,073 reported casualties among fleet drivers.
Since then, the overall number of casualties has been on a decline. Most recently, the number has been below 5,000 since 2019, with the lowest casualty statistics being in 2020 (4,154).
However, this lower number could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw fewer pedestrian vehicles on the roads. This may have led to fewer accidents involving fleet drivers. The number of casualties among all types of drivers was the lowest in this period, with 115,584 in total compared to 153,158 the previous year (2019).
Following the end of lockdowns and the pandemic slowing down, casualty numbers rose once again, with 127,967 among all drivers and 4,669 for goods vehicle occupants.
It’s difficult to say where these figures may go in the future, but since 2012, the data suggests the total number of road casualties among fleet drivers is dropping; despite this, the fatality statistics remain steady, with around 50 to 60 drivers losing their lives annually.
Final thoughts
Our investigation into fleet crash statistics between 2012 and 2021 highlighted how vital having business fleet insurance is.
It was particularly interesting to see the total number of casualties drop slightly when comparing the statistics from 2012 to 2021. While we can note the pandemic would have affected numbers in 2020, the number of fatalities among goods vehicle occupants remained around 50 to 60 drivers, similar to data seen in 2012 and 2013.
While every driver on the road faces risks, the risk of loss of life is not in business leaders’ hands, and therefore, they must prepare for every potential outcome, including road casualties and fatalities.
At a time of increased financial pressure for companies, having a suitable business fleet insurance policy in place can save time, money, and energy while protecting employees. It seems a no-brainer to ensure the right type of fleet insurance is instilled in all companies operating with multiple vans or delivery drivers. We also emphasise its importance not only for massive corporations or firms but also for small businesses, which is why we’re able to help companies with just a few vehicles find a suitable small fleet insurance policy.
If you need any further information on fleet insurance or would like to compare fleet insurance policies from our range of insurance partners, look no further than Insurance Revolution. Our experienced brokers are always on hand to help you understand and compare fleet insurance policies and how they could benefit your business. We’re here to help you explore the most suitable policies, which include small fleet insurance policies starting with just two vehicles.
We can help businesses secure fleet insurance policies for any drivers over 21, starting from just two vehicles, depending on your needs. So, if you have multiple people who need access to your company’s vehicles, it’s worth looking into any driver fleet insurance policies and taking time to compare fleet insurance policies to find the most appropriate option.