Business in the Community Northern Ireland has pledged its support to the Department for Infrastructure’s flagship road safety campaign, Share the Road to Zero. The business network becomes the latest major organisation to back the initiative aimed at eliminating road deaths across the region, joining emergency services, sporting bodies and local councils in calling for greater personal responsibility behind the wheel.
The partnership underscores the growing recognition that employers have a vital role to play in reducing fatalities, particularly given that around one-third of road traffic collisions involve someone driving to, from or for work. With more than 800,000 people employed across Northern Ireland, the workplace is increasingly seen as a critical arena for shaping safer driving attitudes.
The Business Case for Safer Roads
Business in the Community has worked with the private sector on road safety for the past three years through existing programmes. The organisation argues that business leaders are uniquely positioned to influence behaviours both at work and at home by embedding safety culture within their organisations.
Dr. Lisa McIlvenna, Managing Director at Business in the Community Northern Ireland, said:
“Business in the Community and our partners are delighted to sign up to Share the Road to Zero to help support local businesses in promoting safer driving. With more than 800,000 people employed across Northern Ireland, we have been working with the business community on this important issue over the past three years and know that businesses are taking road safety seriously and leaders are demonstrating their commitment in shaping attitudes and encouraging everyone to take greater care on the roads. By having these conversations at work and at home, we can all play our part in reducing fatalities and ensuring we arrive safely at our destinations.”
Ministerial Backing
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins welcomed the move, highlighting the devastating human cost of road collisions and the preventable nature of most incidents. The Minister said:
“I want to thank Business in the Community for supporting Share the Road to Zero and recognising the important leadership role the business community can play in helping make our roads safer.
“Sadly too many people are killed and seriously injured on our roads every year and more than 95% of road deaths are due to human error.
“All of us can make a difference and help save lives by taking more care when using the roads. If we all keep ourselves right by taking personal responsibility, we will help make using the roads safer and reduce fatalities.”
Context and Persistent Challenges
The announcement comes as Northern Ireland continues to address concerning road safety statistics despite concerted efforts. Provisional figures indicate that 57 people died on the roads in 2025, a decrease from 69 deaths in 2024 but still far above the targets set out in the Road Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland to 2030. That strategy, launched in September 2024, aims to halve road deaths by 2030 and eventually eliminate them by 2050.
Business in the Community’s involvement builds upon its existing “Responsible Driving and the Fatal Five” campaign, which has already engaged corporate partners including Allstate Northern Ireland, Coca-Cola UK, Heron Bros., PwC LLP UK and Veolia UK. That initiative focuses on the five most common causes of serious collisions: drink and drug driving, speeding, careless driving, failing to wear seatbelts, and mobile phone use.
Unanswered Questions and Broader Considerations
While the partnership marks a positive expansion of the Share the Road to Zero initiative—which has already attracted more than 50,000 individual signatories—several questions remain about how awareness campaigns will translate into measurable reductions in casualties:
- How will the Department for Infrastructure track the specific impact of business sector engagement on collision rates, given that incidents involving work-related driving are often under-reported in official statistics?
- With the Road Safety Strategy targeting a 50% reduction in deaths by 2030, what additional enforcement measures will accompany these awareness campaigns to address the 95% of incidents attributed to human error?
- Given that 16 pedestrians aged 65 or over were killed in 2025—nine more than in 2024—how will Share the Road to Zero specifically address the safety of vulnerable road users beyond the driver-focused messaging?
- Will businesses signing up to the campaign be required to implement specific fleet management policies or driver training programmes, or is participation primarily symbolic?
What Happens Next
The collaboration represents a significant step in broadening the Share the Road to Zero campaign beyond individual pledges to institutional change. Success will likely depend on whether businesses move beyond signing up to actively implementing safer driving policies, monitoring employee behaviour, and challenging the culture of speed and distraction that contributes to the majority of collisions.
Readers can sign up to receive weekly road safety tips and pledge their support at sharetheroadtozero.com, while businesses can explore additional resources through Business in the Community’s responsible driving programmes.