The biggest threat to personal safety on the world's roads often goes unreported. Every year, the lives of almost 1.3 million people are cut short as a result of road traffic accidents and up to 50 million more are injured or disabled. Although it's easy for travelers to become blase about road safety, the statistics are staggering and show just how dangerous the roads can be. Poor infrastructure and general road conditions, unsafe vehicles, a lack of observance of basic road laws and inadequate emergency services all heighten the risk for the corporate traveler.
Yet despite the obvious risks and despite almost every business journey involving some form of road travel, corporate policies relating to ground transportation remain an afterthought at best in many travel programs. It's not enough for organizations to assume travelers will be safe. Whether an employee is driving to a meeting across town, choosing a taxi or ridehail or using an authorised transport provider in another time zone, that person's organization has a duty of care to ensure that everything possible has been done to ensure the employee's safety throughout that journey.
Although the risks are everywhere, they obviously are heightened in some regions of the world. The World Health Organization'sGlobal Status Report on Road Safetymakes sombre reading in parts, but it does provide focus areas of which it's well worth travel managers being aware.
Consider the following examples:
- 90 percent of road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries with poor road infrastructure.
- Only 34 countries, representing 29 percent of the world's population, have drunk-driving laws that meet WHO-recommended best practices.
- Only 47 countries, representing 13 percent of the world's population, have laws that meet WHO-recommended best practices for urban speed limits.
- Vehicles sold in 80 percent of all countries worldwide fail to meet basic vehicle safety standards.
- Only 109 countries have a telephone number that covers the nation and that can activate any kind of emergency care.
Some Basic Guidelines
It's vital that organizations are aware of the risks in the areas where their people may be traveling and to factor these risks into their travel policies and procedures. The stark differences in both legislation and driver behavior in different regions make it impossible for corporates to implement blanket policies, but there are things than can be done to better protect travelers.
In countries deemed low risk, it may be perfectly acceptable to allow a traveler to make his or her own decisions, whether to self-drive, arrange a taxi or use a ridehailing service. Companies should undertake the necessary due diligence, outline the authorized options within their policies and provide travelers with the necessary pre-travel training so they can make educated decisions. Travel risk management companies should be able to provide further advice, and the WHO publishes details relating to road conditions.
For higher-risk countries, organizations need to be far more prescriptive and take the responsibility out of their travelers' hands. Prescribing against self-driving and ordering travelers to book ground transportation through approved providers means travelers will be served by pre-vetted and highly skilled drivers in specified vehicles. These drivers are used to local conditions, and they're trained in how to deal with incidents, should they occur.
Despite ground transportation's often low or even nonexistent profile in travel risk management discussions, it poses the greatest threat to business travelers and is something that organizations need to address. It's both their legal and moral duty to protect their people wherever they may be and however they may be traveling.