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Company Drivers Put
Employers at Risk
A survey of cars driven
on company business has revealed some very worrying findings for
fleet managers and directors.
Inspections of company
and privately-owned cars and their drivers conducted by Leicester
vehicle management company Total Motion showed that 14 per cent of
the vehicles were unroadworthy, two per cent were untaxed and 17 per
cent were not properly maintained.
Checks on their drivers
revealed that four per cent had invalid licences while eight per
cent of those using private vehicles were not properly insured.
Around 78 per cent of all drivers admitted to not carrying out the
recommended weekly vehicle checks on items such as tyres, lights,
fluids and glass.
The survey was conducted
by Total Motion as part of its new Vehicle Monitor service, which is
designed to help businesses reduce the risks and costs resulting
from poor vehicle maintenance and ensure duty of care compliance
with Health & Safety legislation. It was undertaken by
industry-qualified field engineers, who individually inspected 471
vehicles for companies around the UK.
Simon Hill, managing
director of Total Motion, says companies should be concerned as they
can be prosecuted if an employee or contractor driving an unsafe or
illegal car is involved in an accident while on company business,
whether the vehicle is company or privately owned.
“We found problems
including illegal or incorrectly inflated tyres, very low oil
levels, dangerous brakes, lights not working and toolkits missing,
which could all cause accidents or problems on the road and result
in hefty repair bills or even fines.
“Generally, the results
were worse where drivers were using their own vehicles, including
those bought under cash for car schemes. However, regardless of who
owns the vehicle, there seems to be a real lack of understanding
with most drivers, who simply ignore or pay lip service to the basic
safety checks they should carry out.”
With more people
choosing cash for car and opt out schemes instead of company cars,
the situation is predicted to get worse. There are now around 5
million private vehicles used for company business.
DfT figures show that at
least a third (1,000) of road deaths each year involve people who
are working. But this may be underestimated, as the true number of
private vehicles driven on any company business – such as popping
down to the post office – is unknown.
Total Motion Vehicle
Monitor offers appraisals on any vehicles and their drivers to
demonstrate that the company has met its duty of care. The
appraisals can be conducted on a random or scheduled basis, and
include checks on the vehicle’s condition and general
roadworthiness, its service history and documentation, and in the
case of private vehicles the driver’s licence and insurance.
Completed appraisal forms and digital images are sent to the fleet
operator within 24 hours, or serious issues reported immediately.
Costs start from just £7.00 per vehicle.
Total Motion can also
act for the client to deal with any legal issues on the spot,
including organising immediate remedial work or, in the most severe
cases, confiscating company vehicles.
Says Mr Hill: “Not only
will Vehicle Monitor take care of compliance issues, ultimately it
will improve the care drivers take of their vehicles, so reducing
costs to businesses through lower maintenance costs, minimal end of
contract charges and improved residual values.”
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