One in four company drivers vulnerable

Many companies are routinely ignoring the safety of their employees when requiring them to drive for work, according to a National Highways programme. A survey conducted by Driving for Better Business found that more than a quarter of UK firms have no driving for work policy, and more than a quarter have not reviewed their policy in the past three years.

In response, Driving for Better Business has created an interactive Driving for Work Policy Builder to help fleet companies better address their legal responsibilities.

Driving for work is statistically the most dangerous activity employees undertake. Up to a third of all road traffic incidents involve someone who is driving for work at the time - accounting for 500 fatalities and almost 40,000 injuries a year.

All reputable employers must have a driving for work policy that will stand up to scrutiny in the event of a crash. The law requires all those who drive on the public highway to be adequately and appropriately insured. This means that any person driving, even occasionally in connection with their employer’s work, must be covered for 'business use'.

With the free Driving for Work Policy Builder, launched today (30 April), companies can use a template to create a legally compliant document that can be adapted to their own needs and shared with all employees.

Why companies need a driving for work policy:

• It is a legal requirement: the law says all companies must have policies and procedures to minimise risk – and that includes the recognised risks around driving. In the event of a serious incident, a company must be able to produce documentary proof that the organisation has taken reasonable steps to protect drivers and other road users.
• It makes good business sense. Poorly managed drivers will cost companies more: higher insurance, increased servicing and maintenance costs, more speeding tickets, and greater fuel use.
• It is the right thing to do so that staff and other road users get home to their families safe and well at the end of each day.

*Article source: https://www.bvrla.co.uk/resource/one-in-four-company-drivers-vulnerable.html