This article outlines key enforcement priorities from the Road Safety Strategy and what employers must do now to address impairment risks for staff who drive for work.
In January 2026, the UK Government released its first comprehensive Road Safety Strategy in over a decade, setting a national target to cut road deaths and serious injuries in Great Britain by 65 percent.
Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, stated:
“While England has some of the safest roads globally, approximately four people die on them each day – with thousands more seriously injured every year. Ask yourselves: would we tolerate this on our railways, or in the skies? Of course not. But over the past decade, a dangerous complacency has taken hold, as if road deaths are inevitable. I’ll never accept that”
The strategy spans vehicle safety technology, infrastructure design, enforcement, education, and data systems. However, one message is unmistakable. Dangerous driver behaviour, including drink and drug driving, remains central to road casualties.
Employers in logistics, construction, utilities, engineering, manufacturing, transport, or field services should review their driving risk controls. The Road Safety Strategy directly affects workplace policies, making it critical for teams to assess and manage impairment risks.
The strategy highlights that in 2024, there were more than 1,600 road deaths and nearly 28,000 serious injuries in Great Britain, equating to approximately four deaths per day. While the UK previously made substantial progress in reducing fatalities, progress has plateaued compared with some European countries. The Government’s position is clear. Stronger systemic action is required.
Among the behavioural risks identified are speeding, distraction, seat belt non-compliance, and drink and drug driving, often referred to as part of the Fatal Four.
Impaired Driving is Explicitly in Focus
Under Theme 4, Robust enforcement to protect all road users, the Government confirms that enforcement remains a central pillar of road safety policy. Infrastructure, education, and vehicle innovation all play important roles, but enforcement ensures that road safety regulations are respected and that dangerous behaviour carries consequences.
The Government has launched a consultation to modernise the motoring offences framework, which has not been substantially updated since the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988. The consultation aims to ensure penalties reflect the harm caused and act as an effective deterrent.
Within this review, drink and drug driving are priority areas.
The Government is consulting on:
- Taking tougher action on drink driving by lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales, including introducing a lower limit for novice drivers. The current limit is among the highest in Europe and has not changed since 1969.
- Reviewing penalties and mandatory training for drink and drug driving offences, including consulting on the use of alcohol interlock devices.
- Introducing new powers to suspend driving licences earlier for individuals suspected of drink or drug driving while awaiting court proceedings or forensic results.
- Exploring alternative methods for drug driving evidence collection and processing to improve speed and robustness.
The strategy states clearly that driving under the influence of drink or drugs is unacceptable and puts other road users at risk. It also recognises that delays in forensic analysis can allow suspected offenders to continue driving while investigations are ongoing. Proposed licence suspension powers aim to address this gap.
The focus on drug driving evidence collection is particularly significant. The strategy acknowledges that alternative matrices and future technologies may enable faster, more flexible enforcement outcomes. This reflects openness to evolving scientific approaches to drug detection.
This builds on the existing drug driving framework under Section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, introduced in 2015, which established specified blood concentration limits for certain controlled drugs.
Taken together, these proposals reflect a clear intention to modernise enforcement, strengthen deterrence, and remove impaired drivers from the road more swiftly. Enforcement of drink and drug driving is expected to become more proactive, technologically enabled, and visible.
As enforcement becomes faster and more visible, employers will face greater scrutiny after incidents involving work-related driving.
This means employers should ensure robust controls to prevent drug and alcohol-related risks among staff who drive for work. Action should include reviewing policies, training managers, and conducting risk-based testing rather than waiting for criminal enforcement.
Driving for Work is a Workplace Risk
Driving for work is one of the most significant work-related hazards in the UK.
The Road Safety Strategy 2026 states:
“Collisions involving people travelling for work account for a significant share of road deaths and serious injuries. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 3 of all road traffic fatalities UK-wide involve someone who is driving or riding for work.”
This statistic reframes occupational driving as a mainstream safety issue rather than a peripheral transport concern. The strategy also confirms that employers and engagers of anyone driving or riding for work must ensure those individuals are as safe as possible on the roads.
This applies across a wide range of transport modes, including:
- Heavy Goods Vehicles
- Light Goods Vehicles
- Cars
- Motorcycles
- E cycles and cycles
The strategy also acknowledges the rapid growth of deliveries in the gig economy, reinforcing the fact that work-related road risk continues to expand.
A National Work-Related Road Safety Charter
The Government will pilot a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter for businesses that require people to drive or ride for them.
The Charter aims to reduce work-related road risk, improve safety outcomes, promote organisational accountability, and encourage good practice across industries. The pilot will run for two years and will be monitored and evaluated. The strategy states:
“Regulatory measures will be considered if voluntary engagement is insufficient in reducing work-related road risk.”
This shows that the Government may move beyond voluntary guidance if industry engagement does not deliver measurable improvement.
The Charter will draw on existing schemes such as:
- National Highways’ Driving for Better Business programme
- Transport for London’s meal and grocery delivery motorcycle safety charter
- DVSA’s Earned Recognition Scheme
- The TyreSafe programme
The trajectory is clear: employer accountability for managing road risk is increasing.
Employer Duty of Care Remains Central
The Health and Safety Executive confirms that employers have responsibilities when employees drive for work. Employers must manage driving for work in the same structured way as any other workplace hazard, through risk assessment and control.
This duty applies to:
- Fleet drivers
- Engineers travelling between sites
- Construction supervisors
- Utilities and infrastructure workers
- Sales representatives
- Grey fleet drivers using personal vehicles
Driving for work includes any employee using a vehicle as part of their role.
A defensible drug and alcohol framework typically includes:
- Role-based risk assessment for driving roles
- Clear testing circumstances (pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion, post-incident)
- Documented consent and contractual clarity
- UK GDPR handling process for results
- Manager training and an escalation pathway
- Employee communications and support routes
What This Means for Employers
The Road Safety Strategy places drug and alcohol impairment at the centre of national road safety reform. The Government is modernising the motoring offences framework, strengthening penalties, reviewing evidence processes, and introducing faster enforcement powers.
For employers whose staff drive for work, this creates a shift in responsibility.
Criminal enforcement occurs after harm has happened. Workplace safety management focuses on preventing harm in the first place. Impairment risk forms part of occupational road risk and requires structured control.
Workplace drug testing does not duplicate police roadside enforcement. It supports risk management by helping organisations to:
- Deter unsafe behaviour
- Identify potential impairment before harm occurs
- Demonstrate proactive compliance
- Reinforce a safety culture in safety-critical roles
In logistics, construction, utilities, transport, manufacturing, and engineering, driving often sits alongside other high-risk activities. An impaired driver may also operate heavy equipment, work at height, supervise teams, or interact with the public.
Regulators will examine not only whether an individual broke the law, but whether the employer took reasonable and proportionate steps to manage foreseeable risk.
For many organisations, this includes reviewing whether a structured, legally compliant workplace drug-testing programme is appropriate for roles that involve driving for work.
Fingerprint Drug Testing and the Evolution of Workplace Controls
The strategy’s commitment to exploring alternative methods for collecting drug driving evidence reflects a broader shift towards modernisation in drug detection. Employers are also modernising workplace testing methods to reduce disruption and support proportionality.
The Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System uses sweat collected from fingertips to detect recent drug use. The process is non-invasive, does not require the collection of bodily fluids, and delivers results in minutes.
In safety-critical environments, this provides practical advantages:
- Rapid on-site screening with minimal disruption
- No requirement for dedicated bathroom facilities
- Reduced handling of biological samples
- A detection window aligned to recent use rather than historic lifestyle
Any testing programme must remain lawful, proportionate, and transparently communicated. The Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System strengthens a structured occupational road risk strategy. It does not replace policy, risk assessment, or managerial oversight.
Learn more about the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System and employer resources here.
https://www.intelligentfingerprinting.com/news-resources/
Preparing for a More Proactive Enforcement Environment
The Road Safety Strategy 2026 signals intent. The Government has committed to modernising offences, strengthening penalties, accelerating processes, and removing impaired drivers from the road more swiftly.
A significant proportion of road fatalities involve people travelling for work. Employer accountability will increase.
Organisations whose staff drive for work should now:
- Review driving for work risk assessments
- Revisit drug and alcohol policies
- Identify safety-critical driving roles
- Confirm that testing approaches are lawful and proportionate
Waiting for a serious incident is not a risk management strategy.
A clear, structured, and defensible drug and alcohol policy demonstrates leadership and protects your workforce.
If you are reviewing your approach to managing impairment risk, contact Intelligent Fingerprinting to arrange a demonstration of the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System and discuss how it could support your occupational road risk framework. Request a demo to understand how fingerprint testing could fit within your existing policy, testing circumstances, and data handling requirements.
Preparing now ensures you are ready for what comes next.
