Road safety minister Paul Clark has reassured fleet managers that he is committed to reducing the number of at-work drivers killed on UK roads every year.

His comments come in an exclusive interview with Fleet News as the BVRLA criticised his department for its lack of focus on reducing the 850 or so annual fatal accidents involving at-work drivers.

The BVRLA said the Department for Transport’s proposals for the Government’s new 10-year road safety strategy, to be published within weeks, were “weak” and failed to address at-work driver risk.

The new minister said he depended on fleet managers, among others, to deliver safer roads.

“We rely on the hard work and dedication of fleet managers, the motor industry, technology providers and many other stakeholders for delivering safer roads,” he said.

But he was vague about how he would specifically tackle at-work road risk, indicating that new measures would be general rather than focusing on business drivers.

Punitive measures aimed at curtailing speeding are on the agenda, with “gross” speeders likely to get six points on their licences.

More average speed cameras – “potent weapons” as he called them – would be introduced.

The minister said he would not introduce mandatory post-test qualifications for company drivers.

“However, individual companies may choose to make certain qualifications compulsory, such as the new van driver qualification we are introducing,” he added.

The minister’s comments came as the consultation into his department’s proposals for the new strategy ended.

BVRLA chief executive John Lewis said the consultation document was “weak on its commitment” to reducing at-work driver risk.

He said the lack of mention of a post-qualification for van and company car drivers was a “big weakness”.

The association’s official response, which has been seen by Fleet News, says the DfT’s proposals are “not sufficiently robust” to help companies manage road risk.

“The strategy is somewhat weak in its approach towards the role of technology,” it said.

“The department should view technology as a way to aid compliance and enforcement and not as a punishment.”

The BVRLA criticised a “lack of vision” in terms of driver training and said it was “disappointed” at a failure to look at more effective ways of reporting at-work driver accidents.