TRAVELLING on business is one of Britain’s most life-threatening occupations. However, the threat lies not in terrorism, air crashes or street crime. The true killing fields for business travellers are Britain’s roads.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, driving more than 25,000 miles a year carries as much risk of dying as mining or quarrying. Between 25 and 33 per cent of all road deaths in the UK involve people driving for work.

Yet the absurdity is that employers devote far less attention to road safety than to health and safety in the office. “On average, there are 200 to 400 deaths a year in the work-place, but 800 to 1,200 work-related deaths on the roads,” says Gerard Forlin, a barrister who specialises in corporate manslaughter.

Among the issues on which employers are negligent is ensuring that both employees and vehicles (especially private ones) are fit to be on the road. A study by National Car Rental showed that 62 per cent of employers make no checks on employees’ private vehicles. Another by Fleet World revealed that 69 per cent of companies have no risk management strategy in place for employees who drive on business.

However, risk mitigation and corporate social responsibility are set to become much bigger on board-rooms’ agendas, especially when the impending corporate manslaughter Bill is expected to be enacted.

“Nothing focuses the mind of a board member more than the risk of going to jail,” says Pieter Rieder, vice-president for business development at American Express.

Those institutions responsible for safety in the UK have already made the connection with driving. “The police are beginning to look at fatal work-related road accidents as potential manslaughter cases,” says Forlin. “I’m not sure all employers have caught up with this trend, which leaves them vulnerable.”

Roger Bibbings, the royal society’s occupational safety adviser, agrees. He says: “There will be a number of road-related crashes where factors like driver fatigue and the condition of the vehicle come out at the prosecution.

“Even if individual directors are not prosecuted for manslaughter, we expect more prosecutions under existing health and safety law.” In consequence, business drivers can expect much closer supervision from employers.

Among the measures suggested by Forlin and Bibbings are checks on driving licences and records for driving-related prosecutions as well as drink or drug abuse. Drivers of private vehicles will have to prove they are taxed and insured and have current MoT certificates. Drivers can expect training in road safety, too.

There are also likely to be changes to travel policy. HSBC, for example, is considering whether to reduce the mileage it permits employees to travel in one day. American Express reports having a client that forbids staff from driving a hire car after a long-haul flight until they have had a night’s sleep.

Travel policies will also encourage employees to consider whether they need to drive at all, urging them to take the train or hold video conferences instead.

“I expect to see far more organisations taking measures like these, partly to offset the risk of criminal and civil liability,” says Forlin.