About 40% of motor vehicle accidents are work-related, which poses a significant risk to employees who drive for their jobs, according to a new report based on U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

Additionally, only 42.6% of companies currently mandate driver safety programs for employees in company-owned vehicle programs and just 19.5% require them for employees in mileage reimbursement programs, notes the report.

The "2018 Driver Safety Risk Report" — released by Motus, a vehicle management and reimbursement platform — paints a picture of rising accident frequency and mounting costs.

The overall number of traffic accidents and injuries remains at a record high. As the number of collisions increases, so do physical injuries to employees who drive for work. The report notes that since 2013, the annual number of motor vehicle-related injuries has risen by 6.2%.

Motor vehicle accidents cost employers over $56 billion in 2017, with 53% of vehicle accidents causing employees to miss work. According to the Motus research, 68% of companies reported recent on-the-job accidents in company-owned vehicles and 41% of companies reported recent on-the-job accidents in employee-owned vehicles.

Companies can reduce the accident rates for their employees by as much as 35% by expanding their driver risk management approach beyond basic Motor Vehicle Record (MPV) checks, says Motus. Proactive steps to reducing accidents among a mobile workforce include individualized training and insurance verification.

The report also finds that U.S. collision insurance claims remain at the highest levels of the past 10 years and have steadily increased over the past five years.

Read the full report here.