Most companies put their safety energy where the work happens. Tool time. Site conditions. PPE. Permits. That all matters.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: for a lot of teams, the highest-frequency, highest-severity exposure isn’t a saw, a ladder, or a chemical. It’s the drive to get there.
The road is where good workers get hurt doing nothing “unsafe” on purpose. One glance at a phone. One rushed merge. One late start that turns into aggressive driving. One long day that ends with a tired commute. And unlike most jobsite hazards, the road doesn’t care how experienced you are.
If you have people traveling between sites, to clients, to meetings, to pick up parts, or driving home after extended shifts, road risk is a work-related safety issue. Full stop.
Driving for work sits in a weird blind spot.
It feels “normal,” so it doesn’t get treated like a high-risk task. It’s not a confined space entry. It’s not lockout. It’s not a lift plan.
But it is a task where a single mistake can have permanent consequences, and the conditions change minute to minute. Weather, traffic, visibility, road surface, fatigue, and other drivers’ decisions are all variables you do not control.
That’s why “driving between jobsites” belongs inside your OH&S program. It’s not personal life risk when the work requires the travel. It’s occupational exposure.
When you peel back most work-related driving incidents, you usually find one (or more) of these: complacency, time pressure, and distraction.
They show up in different ways, but they all push people toward the same outcome: reduced attention, reduced patience, and worse decisions.
Complacency: “I’ve driven this route a thousand times”
Complacency is the silent one, because it feels like confidence.
It’s the short trip you don’t take seriously. The familiar route you stop scanning properly. The moment you assume the other driver will do what they’re supposed to do. The winter morning where you “know” you’ll be fine because you’ve done winters forever.
Complacency also shows up as skipping basics: not clearing snow off the whole vehicle, not doing a quick walk-around, not checking tire condition, not topping up washer fluid, not thinking about where the sun will be in your eyes at 8:15 AM.
On a jobsite, routine tasks are exactly where injuries happen. Driving is no different.
Time pressure: the schedule that quietly demands speeding
Time pressure isn’t always someone yelling, “Hurry up.”
Sometimes it’s a calendar built by someone who hasn’t driven the route. Sometimes it’s a stacked day where the first delay makes the whole day feel like it’s collapsing. Sometimes it’s the worker themselves trying to “make up time” because they don’t want to look unproductive.
And that’s how otherwise solid people start doing dumb things: rolling stops, late-yellow decisions, tailgating, aggressive lane changes, speeding “a little,” or driving when they should have pulled over for weather.
If you want to reduce driving risk, start by admitting this: schedules are safety controls. Unrealistic schedules create predictable unsafe driving behaviour.
Distraction: “Just a quick look” is how it starts
Distraction is the modern killer because it feels efficient.
A text from dispatch. A supervisor calling for an update. A “quick” reply to a client. A map change. A playlist adjustment. A notification that pulls the eyes off the road for two seconds and the brain off the task for longer than people realize.
The problem is that driving doesn’t give you spare attention. Any attention you give to a device is attention you’re taking away from the road.
That’s why your “driving rule” has to be a company standard, not a personal preference, and not something that gets quietly bypassed when operations get busy.
If you want something simple that moves the needle, this is it.
Set a company driving standard: no phone handling, realistic travel schedules, and a “pull over to respond” rule that supervisors actively support.
That’s the whole model. Three parts. Clear expectations. Easy to coach. Easy to enforce.
Here’s what that standard can look like in plain language:
If you want to tighten it further (and many companies should), you can go one step stronger: no device use at all while driving, including hands-free, with voicemail as the default. Whether you choose “no handling” or “no use,” the real question is the same.
Will your supervisors actually support it?
Because if the standard is “don’t use your phone,” but supervisors keep calling, texting, and expecting instant answers, your policy is dead on arrival.
Most driving policies fail because they’re written like rules for workers, not standards for leaders.
If you want this to work, coach supervisors on exactly what “support” looks like.
They plan check-ins instead of interrupting driving time.
They accept delays without attitude.
They praise safe decisions, even when it costs time.
They don’t create “gotcha” moments like calling to see if someone answers.
They don’t reward speed. They reward safe completion.
If a worker says, “I pulled over to respond,” the supervisor response should be, “Perfect,” not, “Why aren’t you moving?”
This is where culture shows up in the real world. Not in posters. In how leaders react when safety costs five minutes.
You don’t need an aviation-style dispatch system to manage road risk. You need consistency.
A simple journey management routine can be lightweight and still effective.
Where are you going?
What’s the route?
What’s the weather?
What’s the time pressure?
What’s your plan if things change?
No device handling.
Pull over to respond.
Stop if visibility or road conditions deteriorate.
If your operation includes longer drives, winter highways, or remote access roads, add a few more controls. Keep it practical and specific.
The goal is not to create paperwork. The goal is to reduce predictable exposure and give workers clear permission to slow down, stop, delay, and re-route when conditions demand it.
If distraction is the obvious risk, fatigue is the underestimated one.
Workers don’t always label themselves as fatigued. They label themselves as “fine.” Then they miss a stop sign, drift a lane, or feel their eyelids get heavy on a straight stretch of road.
Fatigue risk spikes when you mix early starts, long shifts, overtime, long commutes, mentally demanding work, night driving, monotonous highway driving, and winter conditions that require more attention.
The hard part is that fatigue doesn’t always feel dramatic. It can look like minor impatience, slower reaction time, missed mirrors, and “zoning out.” That’s why fatigue controls belong in planning and scheduling, not just in awareness talk.
Practical fatigue controls for work-related driving can include:
Building realistic travel time into the day so people aren’t rushing.
Avoiding stacking long drives after long shifts.
Using planned stops as a normal part of the schedule, not a sign of weakness.
Giving clear authority to stop driving if a worker feels unsafe due to fatigue or conditions.
Training leaders to respond with controls, not pressure, when someone reports fatigue.
If you want to reduce road risk, reduce the pressure to “push through.”
Driving incidents are often explained as “driver error,” but vehicle condition is the multiplier.
Poor tires and poor visibility turn near misses into crashes. Deferred maintenance turns minor issues into roadside breakdowns, and roadside exposure is its own hazard. In winter, lack of readiness becomes serious risk fast.
At minimum, define what “roadworthy for work” means in your company:
Pre-use checks for work vehicles (lights, tires, brakes feel, wipers, washer fluid).
Maintenance schedules and records that are actually followed.
A clear reporting process for defects, with authority to remove a vehicle from service.
Seasonal readiness requirements (winter tires where appropriate, emergency kit, block heater use, windshield clarity).
This is also where companies can use data wisely. If you have telematics, don’t use it as a punishment tool. Use it to spot patterns: speeding hot spots, harsh braking, aggressive acceleration, and long driving days that correlate with near misses. Data should drive coaching and prevention, not fear.
Most organizations only “activate” after a collision.
But near misses are where you can fix the system without paying the full price.
If someone reports, “I almost rear-ended someone,” or “I caught myself checking my phone,” or “We were late so I was pushing it,” that is a system signal.
Treat driving near misses like any other high-risk near miss.
Capture what happened.
Identify what pressures were present (schedule, staffing, client expectations, dispatch practices).
Decide what control failed or was missing.
Update the standard, the schedule assumptions, and leader expectations.
Then verify the change holds by checking the next few weeks of trips, not just the next day.
If your team drives for work, Calgary Safety Consultants can help you turn “driving safety” from a poster topic into a working control system.
Here are practical ways we support companies:
We build a simple, enforceable company driving standard (including the “pull over to respond” rule) that fits your operations and client demands.
We review scheduling and dispatch practices to remove built-in time pressure that drives unsafe behaviour.
We develop a journey management process scaled to your risk level (local driving versus highway versus remote, winter-heavy operations, and higher-risk travel).
We deliver supervisor coaching so leaders reinforce the standard in real time. This is usually the make-or-break piece.
We help set vehicle readiness and inspection expectations that are realistic, documented, and easy to verify.
We help you set up incident and near-miss investigation tools specific to driving events so you learn fast and prevent repeats.
If you want a driving standard that workers will actually follow and supervisors will actually support, that’s exactly the kind of practical OH&S work we do at calgarysafetyconsultants.ca.
If you’re serious about reducing injuries, don’t just look at the jobsite. Look at the windshield.
The drive between jobsites is where complacency, time pressure, and distraction collide. The fix doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be real: a clear driving standard, realistic schedules, and leader behaviour that supports “pull over to respond” every single time.
Because the safest message you can send your worker is the one you don’t expect them to read while driving.
Connect with us here and let us help you improve your OH&S practices.
https://www.ccohs.ca/topics/hazards/safety/driving
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/occup_workplace/drivers_distance.html
https://www.alberta.ca/distracted-driving
https://www.alberta.ca/hours-of-service-and-fatigue-management
https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/motor-vehicle-safety
https://www.bst.gc.ca/eng/surveillance-watchlist/multi-modal/2022/multimodal-03.html
https://www.nsc.org/getmedia/626f47e0-2600-485d-ab55-3d1be80e2138/sample-policy.docx
Work-related driving is any driving a worker performs as part of their job duties, including travel between jobsites, trips to suppliers, client visits, and other business travel. Because it’s work exposure, it belongs in hazard assessment, training, supervision, and incident management.
Driving is frequent, conditions change constantly, and a single error can be catastrophic. Complacency, time pressure, fatigue, weather, and distraction stack together quickly, especially when schedules are tight and people are trying to stay responsive.
A simple, enforceable standard is: no phone handling while driving, realistic travel schedules with buffer time, and a “pull over to respond” rule that supervisors actively support. If leaders expect instant replies, the standard will fail.
Calgary Safety Consultants is here to help you ensure compliance, enhance safety, and streamline your OH&S program. Don’t wait—fill out the form, and we’ll connect with you to discuss how we can support your business. Let’s get started!
Calgary Safety Consultants delivers game-changing COR Audits and OH&S consulting designed to keep your business safe, compliant, and accident-free. With 30+ years of expertise in high-risk industries like oil & gas, construction, and manufacturing, we understand the unique challenges you face. We offer tailored safety solutions that not only meet regulatory standards but also reduce operational risks and protect your workforce. From conducting thorough safety audits to implementing comprehensive safety management systems, we ensure your team is fully supported. Our hands-on, collaborative approach means we're with you every step of the way, helping you achieve a safer, more efficient workplace. Let us handle the heavy lifting so your team stays protected, and your business thrives!
