A legislative analysis for enhancing safety for people who drive light vehicles for work in Victoria, Australia

Work-related light vehicle drivers, (i.e., employed drivers who drive light vehicles as a part of their work, and those who drive professionally as independent contractors within the gig economy), are over-represented in motor vehicle crashes and under-represented in intervention efforts to improve road safety. The over-representation of crashes may be partway explained via road exposure, although other factors such as driving task difficulty and organisational factors have also been reported. More research needs to be done to better understand these issues. The concept of ‘workplace road safety culture’ has been identified as a potential intervention to improve road safety behaviour, thereby reducing road trauma within these driver cohorts. The current study aimed to conduct a legislative analysis related to workplace road safety in the state of Victoria for light vehicle drivers via the systems thinking methodology of Systems Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP); the legislative analysis addressed both state and national legislation. Specifically, the analysis aimed to identify intervention gaps within workplace road safety, as well as the key decision-makers to facilitate additional intervention. The STAMP control structure demonstrated that legislation for road safety controls and feedback channels differs depending on whether the driver is employed to drive a light vehicle or works as an independent contractor within the gig economy. For example, due to the provision of employer-related legislation, employees have additional safety controls and feedback channels that are not available to independent contractors. The analysis also identified that for employed work-related drivers in light vehicles, there is no central organising body responsible for safety regulation of light vehicle work-related driving. Additionally, for drivers in the gig economy, their algorithmic management system is not necessarily guided by specific safety legislation or regulations. In identifying opportunities to optimise workplace road safety culture, the reporting culture for both driver cohorts should be a focus of improvement. For gig economy drivers, peer support groups could assist in overcoming gaps in safety leadership within the industry. For light commercial vehicle drivers, a central organising body specifically for work-related light vehicle safety regulation could assist with overseeing safety interventions, especially in regards to facilitating collaboration between stakeholders and also in the coordination of safety communication and feedback. Thus, the Victorian government’s objective to reduce the burden of road trauma may be instigated for a substantial proportion of road users who drive for work.