Work-related road risk

The movement of construction vehicles presents a very real risk to pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists with HGVs disproportionately involved in collisions with these Vulnerable Road Users. In 2023, HGVs accounted for around 1% of all vehicles on the road but were involved in 10% of all vulnerable road user fatalities.

Over 4,900 pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists were injured in collisions with vehicles typically used in construction on Britain’s roads in 2023 with more than 25,000 people killed or injured over a 5-year period. Of these 4,908 incidents, 1612 of those people were seriously injured while 169 tragically lost their lives.

The law

Health and safety law requires that employers manage risks to employees, sub-contractors and the community in which they operate.

• Under Regulations 4 and 13 of the 2015 CDM regulations, clients and principal contractors have a duty to ensure that the construction work they procure is carried out, so far as is reasonably practicable, without risk to the health or safety of any person affected by the project and this includes persons within the wider community and all vulnerable road users.
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a general duty of care on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees and to protect others who may be affected by their undertakings, and this includes vulnerable road users.