RAC Risk Management has joined forces with Toyota and leasing firm ALD Automotive to offer a series of risk management seminars to fleets.

The Toyota seminars, to be launched in April, are part of the manufacturer's core business strategy for the year and aim to attract 250 fleet managers to venues throughout the country.

Toyota Fleet customers will have first call on the places, but they are also open to non customers in a bid to spread the safety message to as many companies as possible. The first workshop takes place at Toyota in Epsom on April 25, followed by May 21 in Leeds and July 25 in Liverpool.

Jon Pollock, general manager of Toyota Fleet, said: 'Safe fleets are efficient fleets. Within those organisations, life becomes simpler for managers and directors, which in turn reduces costs.

'Companies do best when staff are in front of customers or doing their jobs, rather than sitting in crashed cars, recovering in hospital, or worse.'

Allen Bewley, head of risk management for the RAC, said: 'The courses have three key aims.

'Firstly, they will show fleet managers how they can introduce basic concepts of proactive road risk management.

'Secondly, it will give them the tools so they can meet their moral and legal obligations to drivers and offer them support if they need to carry out further work on their fleets.'

David Yates, sales and marketing director at ALD Automotive, said of the firm's courses with RAC Risk Management, said: 'We understand the pressure companies are under to ensure drivers are safe on the road and we felt it was necessary to offer our customers advice on these important issues'