COMPANY motorists spend more time on the road and are doing more behind the wheel while driving for company business than ever before, a study has found.

The trend is transforming cars into mobile offices and homes, says Lex Vehicle Leasing, the company behind research that gives an insight into company car drivers’ thinking. It found that half of company car drivers spend more than two hours on the road every day.

Carried out by research company Ipsos MORI on behalf of Lex, views and opinions were sought from more than 120 company drivers in the north of England.

The survey found that almost two-thirds of company drivers believe other road users are too aggressive but 28% admit that driving makes them swear more – most of them women.

Nine out of 10 respondents complained that roads are too congested and just under two- thirds believe roads are more dangerous than five years ago.

Opinions were also gathered on the use of speed cameras with a third wanting a cut in the number operating alongside Britain’s roads. Only four in 10 drivers want motorway speed limits increased.

Lex Vehicle Leasing managing director Jon Walden said: ‘Drivers are increasingly doing more behind the wheel as the vehicle becomes a focal point in the working day. While advances in technology allow us to do everyday tasks on the road more easily, there’s a concern that UK roads are stressful, congested places.

‘Better in-car technology certainly helps, but more could be done. For example, congestion is a major cause of driving stress, so anything that eases congestion, like road-pricing or widening roads, could help. Driving plays a central role in the economic well-being of the country and we can now see that the car is an extension of the workplace.’

One in 10 say they eat and drink while on the move and a third regularly make phone calls. A third use satellite navigation.