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Up to four out of ten road deaths on European roads last year were work-related, new data has suggested.
According to figures published by not-for-profit charity the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), 25,671 lives were lost on EU roads in 2016, with up to 40% of those deaths being work-related.
ETSC said that death tolls have not improved in the last three years and urged employers, governments and the EU to "step up" efforts to tackle work-related road risks.
The charity said that governments should lead by example to reduce road deaths by adopting road safety management schemes for their employees and include vehicle safety parameters when procuring vehicles.
In addition, the ETSC recommended improving road accident data. At present, the majority of police forces do not register the purpose of a journey and there is no standardised definition of a work-related road death at present.
"While there are some great examples of large and small organisations across Europe starting to take road safety seriously, there are thousands more that turn a blind eye to the risks their employees take every day on the roads," said Antonio Avenoso, executive director of ETSC.
He added: "Many companies also wrongly see road risk management as a burden rather than an opportunity. But reducing risks through journey management, targeted training and purchasing safer vehicles can cut insurance costs, lead to less time off and boost a company's image. While employers need to do more, our report also shows that they need help and support from national governments and the EU to do it."
Commenting on the report, Jason Wakeford, a spokesman for road safety charity Brake, said: "Road deaths fell by just 1.4% between 2010 and 2016 - way short of the EU target. All other EU countries, with the exception of Lithuania, Malta and Sweden, have made better progress and urgent action is needed."
He added: "It's a disgrace that there are currently no UK targets for reducing the number of road deaths and we are calling for a UK target to be set as a priority for the government."
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