More American workers die in motor vehicle crashes than from any other work-related cause. In 2010, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) launched its Center for Motor Vehicle Safety (CMVS) to do something about it. NIOSH is the only part of the federal government whose mission includes preventing crashes and the resulting injuries for all workers, not just one group.
What the center does
- Understands risk: how risk factors contribute to work-related crashes and injuries.
- Tests technology: develops engineering and technology-based safety interventions and measures whether they work.
- Evaluates programs: assesses motor vehicle safety management programs and practices.
- Spreads what works: promotes evidence-based technologies and practices among employers, workers and others.
Who it focuses on
| Industry sectors | Drivers |
|---|---|
| Oil and gas extraction | Truck drivers |
| Public safety | Drivers in other high-risk jobs — emergency medical services workers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, oil and gas workers |
| Transportation, warehousing and utilities | Drivers of light vehicles: cars, SUVs, pickup trucks |
| Wholesale and retail trade |
Recent results
- Oil and gas commutes: a survey of 500 land-based oil and gas extraction workers found longer commutes, nonstandard schedules, less sleep on workdays and a lack of employer driving-safety policies were linked to risky driving outcomes.
- Fire truck rollovers: in a driving-simulator evaluation, a curve speed warning system gave drivers advance warning when they approached curves at unsafe speeds, and the study pointed to ways to improve it.
- Fatigue: with the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, the center produced a guide for fleet safety professionals on managing fatigue and reducing crashes caused by tired driving.
- Police driving: an insurance agency that serves most of Oregon's counties adopted the NIOSH Officer Road Code Toolkit for a law enforcement driving-safety course.
What's next
- A commentary on inequities in work-related motor vehicle safety for underserved groups.
- A paper linking oil and gas workers' risky driving to their employers' vehicle safety policies.
- Two papers on work-related crash deaths, matching the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries with the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
- A guide to creating or expanding an organization's motor vehicle safety program.
- A CDC feature article on driver fatigue at work, and a driver safety webinar with the NIOSH Total Worker Health program.
The center's strategic plan for 2020–2029 sets its direction; its fact sheet and NIOSH's motor vehicle safety page have more for workers and employers.
Sources
Based on "Center for Motor Vehicle Safety," National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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