Industry

Industry shares responsibility for road injury prevention, in the design and use of its products and as an employer whose staff and transport services are often major road users.

It often contributes financial support to road safety activity. For example, organizations funded by the insurance industry make a valuable contribution to road safety. Folksam Research, Sweden [9] and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety [30] in the United States play a key role in providing objective information about the crash performance of new car and other safety issues. Data collection managed by the Motor Traffic Insurers Bureau (VALT) [59], in Finland which investigates every fatal crash occurring nationally and carries out safety studies, feeds directly into national public information and policy. The insurance industry in Austria contributes a large share of the funding of the Austrian Road Safety Board [5].

In view of the fact that a large proportion of road traffic injuries are occupational in nature, companies can play a role in improving road safety through in-house safety policies and fleet policies. The Swedish National Roads Administration has, for example, stipulated that the award of road transport contracts is conditional on the fitting of alcohol interlock devices in all vehicles used by its contractors. In Sweden, alcohol interlocks are now installed in over 1500 vehicles and, since 2002, two major truck suppliers have been offering interlocks as standard equipment on the Swedish market. Advice has also been provided to local government on how to be more oriented towards safety in their dealings and contractual arrangements with suppliers of transport services and vehicles.