Fleet crash data and the importance of insurance

Mon Feb 20 2023

Examining fleet crash statistics between 2012-2021

Fleet drivers are an essential aspect of 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, we then compared these numbers throughout the years to emphasise how vital having a suitable policy in place for fleets is to businesses.

Methodology

We analysed Government data on annually reported road casualties in Great Britain between 2012 and 2021. 

We used the data to highlight injury statistics on the road by vehicle type and examined the statistics of ‘Goods Vehicle Occupants’ to investigate the amount 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 dive into the statistics surrounding fleet accidents, we should first explore why fleet insurance is essential to businesses with multiple vehicles. This type of coverage is not only limited to operators boasting ample amounts of vehicles, any company looking to cover upwards of 2 vehicles could opt for a fleet insurance policy that suits their requirements.

The benefits of fleet insurance include allowing companies to operate in a more flexible manner, this is due to the fact that many fleet policies have an ‘any driver policy’ meaning it’s the vehicle that is insured rather than the drivers. 

This allows businesses to utilise any qualified drivers rather than a specifically insured operator, therefore, if an employee is to call in sick or be replaced, the 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 also comes with a cost-benefit to businesses, these policies are an easy way of insuring multiple vehicles at the same time. Rather than seeking individual insurance for each car or van, a company could have all fleet vehicles insured on the same policy, it makes renewal a much quicker and easier process while proving cost-effective in comparison to individual insurance.

If a business were to opt for an over-30 policy but had a driver under this age, they 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 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 surrounding how many goods vehicle occupants have been killed or seriously injured between 2012-2021. 

The statistics are broken into three sections; killed, KSI adjusted (killed or seriously injured) and all casualties, allowing us to visualise the number of accidents and the unfortunate amount 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 least 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 lockdowns ending 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 2012-2021 highlighted just how vital a suitable fleet insurance policy is to businesses. 

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 had an effect on numbers in 2020, the number of fatalities among goods vehicle occupants remained around 50 to 60 drivers, similar to data seen way back in 2012 and 2013.

While there are risks for every driver on the road, the risk of cost 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 businesses, suitable coverage 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 for small businesses too.

If you need any further information on fleet insurance or would like to receive a quote, look no further than us here at Insurance Revolution. Our experienced team of brokers are always on hand to advise you on how fleet insurance could benefit your business and help explore the most suitable policies.

We can help businesses secure fleet insurance policies from any driver over-21 to named driver only, starting from just 2 vehicles, depending on your needs.