ALD Automotive is urging employers to maintain a duty of care or risk falling foul of legislation, following a recent survey of almost 1,000 business drivers.
According to the research, only 41% of drivers had been given any formal driver training or coaching by their employer, and less than 2% expected to receive any specific training in the next 12 months.
Less than a quarter of employees had been asked to perform a health check to ensure that they were fit to drive for work purposes and less than 1% expected to have a health check in 2013.
Mel Dawson, managing director at ALD Automotive UK, said: "These statistics are concerning as they suggest a large proportion of businesses are, perhaps, still not giving this area of fleet the priority it needs to have.
"Despite the tough economic climate, road risk management is more important than ever, so we are urging employers to put a comprehensive road risk policy in place, before it’s too late, to ensure the safety of their employees and others on the road.
"An effective occupational road risk policy will lead to significant financial savings from reductions in accidents, insurance premiums and vehicle repairs to ‘hidden savings’, such as improved fuel consumption, reduced wear and tear and a reduction in lost staff time."
Patriot - 25/05/2013 00:22
Driver training? How many SME's can afford to hire an ADI or pay for lessons? How many SME's can afford to pay a GP for a health check on employees? Drivers/employees also have a duty of care to declare any health problems and/or any impairments that may affect their abilities to drive and to report any traffic offences that result in points on their licence. Give me a break........