If you drive for work, you run the risk of being involved in an auto accident while on the clock. But when it comes to protecting employees while they drive, many employers are dropping the ball, Business Insurance reports.

Professional drivers, like delivery drivers and truckers, often receive specialized training and must meet special license requirements. Many companies with large fleets of trucks or other vehicles have transportation safety programs.

However, such safety precautions may be seriously lacking for employees who drive only occasionally or take a company car out on sales calls.

Many employers don’t think about their employees’ safety behind the wheel when driving isn’t in their regular job description. Co-workers driving to a conference, sales personnel and managers attending meetings across town don’t get the same attention as a delivery driver, for instance. But it’s often these employees who are involved in traffic crashes.

No. 1 Cause of Job Fatalities

An average of 1,275 workers died on public highways each year from 2003 to 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Motor vehicle-related accidents are the leading cause of occupational deaths, accounting for 36 percent of workplace fatalities.

Motor vehicle accidents are also a leading cause of workers’ compensation claims, according to Business Insurance. These accidents may involve multiple parties as employees sometimes drive together.

Though federal safety guidelines cover workers who drive as their primary job, there are no similar regulations for workers who use their personal vehicles or smaller vehicle fleets for day-to-day or occasional job duties.

Employers’ Duty

If you are on the clock, traveling to a midday meeting or delivering a file across town, your employer has a duty to keep you safe. While many employers don’t think to offer fleet safety or defensive driver training to workers who don’t drive regularly, such a program could ultimately save the lives of employees.

The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety reports that 14 percent of the average vehicle miles traveled per household involve work-related business. This doesn’t include miles commuting to and from work.

So what is your employer doing to keep you safe on the road? And if you are a business owner or manager, how can you implement a driver safety program to protect your workers?