Almost half of all business drivers have had an accident in the past year, while one in six have committed a motoring offence.

But the good news is that the majority are not repeat offenders, with just one in 20 committing a further offence, according to research from Lex Autolease.

"There is always room for improvement and firms have a duty of care to ensure they communicate and remind drivers of their responsibilities while travelling on company business,” explained Steve Osborne, head of fleet management at Lex Autolease. ”It's a financial and safety priority."

It should be a no brainer for fleets when 45% of company drivers have been involved in a driving accident in the past year, with almost 70% at fault and an average repair bill of £860.

In addition, fleets suffer the double whammy of vehicles being garaged for several days and any third party costs, such as hire car charges and lost working hours, which collectively can mount up to 20-50 times more than the repair.

The research was based on a review of almost 21,000 vehicles on Lex Autolease’s fleet.