Work-related driving safety in light vehicle fleets: A review of past research and the development of an intervention framework

Newnam, Sharon; Watson, Barry C. · 2010 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.ssci.2010.09.018

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Summary

This paper addresses the critical issue of work-related driving safety in light vehicle fleets (vehicles under 4.5 tonnes), which have become a leading cause of work-related death, injury, and absence in Australia and internationally. Despite the significant social and economic burden of these crashes, the authors argue that past research has been predominantly data-driven or anecdotal, lacking the theoretical development necessary to understand the behavioral mechanisms underlying driving safety. The study aims to review existing literature to identify gaps in theoretical application and to propose a comprehensive intervention framework that guides future research and practice toward theory-driven strategies. The authors conducted a systematic review of the work-related driving literature, searching databases such as PsycInfo, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect, as well as industry reports and conference programs from 2000 to 2009. They included over 50 English-language studies focusing on light vehicle fleets, excluding commercial heavy vehicle fleets which are subject to stricter federal regulations. The review analyzed studies for their theoretical application, methodology, and findings, categorizing interventions into individual-level (driver training, behavior modification) and organizational-level (policy, risk management) approaches. The findings reveal that work-related drivers exhibit higher crash frequencies than private drivers, with specific groups like salary-sacrificed car drivers and taxi drivers at elevated risk. Financially, these crashes impose substantial costs, estimated at AUD$500 million annually in Queensland alone. The review highlights that while individual-level interventions like driver training and incentive schemes have shown some efficacy, they often lack robust theoretical grounding. Conversely, organizational interventions, such as crash databases and recruitment protocols, are often reactive rather than proactive. The authors identify a few key studies that successfully applied psychological frameworks, such as the Theory of Planned Behavior and Bandura’s Reciprocal Determinism, to explain how individual attitudes and organizational safety climates predict driving behavior. The significance of this paper lies in its development of an intervention framework that integrates theoretical insights with practical strategies. The authors conclude that effective safety management requires moving beyond isolated data collection to adopt theory-driven interventions that target both individual behavioral mechanisms and organizational structures. By explicating the antecedents and determinants of safe driving through established psychological and management theories, practitioners can design targeted interventions that address the specific needs of different driver groups and organizational levels, ultimately improving safety outcomes in light vehicle fleets.

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Topics

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• fleet safety
• traffic safety culture
• shift work driving
• public messaging
• bus coach
• induced exposure

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes
• Theoretical Contribution: theory or model