The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in the UK has launched new guidance aimed at helping self-employed gig economy workers, such as couriers and taxi drivers, stay safe on the road.
According to UK government data, in 2018 around 4.4% of the UK adult population had undertaken some work in the gig economy within the past 12 months – equating to around 2.8 million people.
The main topics covered in RoSPA’s new guidance are the importance of maintaining bicycles and motor vehicles, how to avoid experiencing fatigue while on the road, and how to drive and ride safely in the dark.
Nick Lloyd, head of road safety at RoSPA, said, “Driving is one of the most dangerous activities that most of us will ever do, and driving for work tends to be riskier than driving for private reasons. People who drive professionally are more likely to crash even after their higher mileages are taken into consideration.
“Our hope is that by providing tailored guidance to gig economy workers, we might be able to help avoid incidents on the road. We also want to see a move away from a relentless targets-driven culture which can lead to unsafe workloads, cause fatigue and result in collisions.”