The UK government’s new Road Safety Strategy has prompted employers to reassess workplace drug and alcohol policies, especially for staff who drive or perform safety-critical work, because work-related driving is linked to a significant portion of road fatalities. While the strategy doesn’t create new legal duties, employers must ensure risk assessments and impairment controls are robust and proportionate. Testing policies should be justified by safety, based on consent, and integrated into broader health-and-safety systems.

