Tackling stress and mental health could help reduce the number of bridge strikes by HGVs across the UK, RHA said this week.
The association said that while investment in driver training, route planning and vehicle technology remains essential, these measures alone are not enough to prevent bridge strikes, which continue to occur almost every day on Britain’s road network.
According to Network Rail, 1,666 bridge strikes were recorded on the rail network between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, the equivalent of one bridge strike every five hours.
RHA argues that investing in wellbeing can deliver benefits beyond employee engagement, helping to improve concentration, reduce distraction and make for safer roads.
Geraint Davies, RHA UK director of partnerships, said the industry needed to look beyond traditional safety interventions and recognise the effect that personal pressures can have on a driver’s ability to concentrate.
“A driver consumed by personal problems or high stress can experience severe distraction, causing them to miss clear road signs and strike a structure simply because they have no mental bandwidth left for the task at hand,” he said.
Davies’ comments come as the RHA rolls out its new Wellbeing Charter, which aims to encourage road transport businesses to make the health and wellbeing of their workforce a business priority. Launched on 15 July, the Charter already has 133 operators signed up to it.
The Charter sets out a framework for employers to support drivers and other transport workers across four key areas of wellbeing – mental, physical, financial and social – while promoting practical actions that can be embedded into everyday working life.
As part of the initiative, the RHA has launched its A Million Positive Moments campaign, encouraging companies across the sector to make small but meaningful commitments that improve employees’ wellbeing, from encouraging conversations about mental health to recognising good work, providing access to support services and creating healthier workplace cultures.
The RHA said its Wellbeing Charter is intended to address some of the underlying human factors that can contribute to incidents, complementing existing safety measures rather than replacing them.
Davies said: “By prioritising mental health and holistic support for our workforce, we can make a genuine difference in people’s lives and build safer roads for everyone. Because at the end of the day, people matter.”
