THE ROYAL SOCIETY for the Prevention of Accidents has determined that every week there are 270 serious accidents involving at-work travel in the United Kingdom. Those accidents result in 20 weekly fatalities, which means, according to the RoSPA, at-work travel is three times more deadly than the average workplace.

With statistics such as that in mind, RoSPA is partnering with a new U.K. — based foundation called Meeting Without Moving. Launched in October, the organization is working to change the British business culture to eliminate unnecessary travel and reduce its effect on road safety, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues.

Not that the organization is entirely altruistic. MWM also wants to increase business productivity and efficiency, particularly by promoting the use of videoconferencing. The head of MWM, Noel Edmonds, is chairman of VMC, a provider of videoconferencing and support systems, as well as a network of video meeting rooms around the U.K.

Along with RoSPA, MWM is partnering with organizations dedicated to environmental and work balance issues, and has some well-known corporate patrons, including Sony and NEC.

The goal of MWM, according to Edmonds, is to work with the British government on issues of concern to the foundation, including road safety, the environment, business productivity, and work balance issues.

In the meantime, says MWM Chief Executive John Blackwell, executives should be thinking twice before they “send staff on unnecessary journeys, exposing them to danger and stress, wasting energy and polluting the environment, and squandering money.”