A relaxation of operational budgets as UK companies emerge from the recession is leading to a record demand for online driver profiling and training in the fleet sector.

According to Jonathan Mosley, sales and marketing director at E-Training World, the number of companies implementing a process of online risk assessments and e-driver training for their car and commercial vehicle drivers has soared to a record level this year.

He puts the 35 per cent increase in demand down to companies recognising their duty of care to drivers, looking for ways to reduce accident costs and now having the budget to invest in areas that were badly affected during the recession.

“Risk assessing and training company car, van and HGV drivers can deliver immediate savings by reducing the cost of repairs due to accidents, and it enables companies to meet their health and safety obligations,” said Mosley.

“What we’re also finding is that companies are implementing an on-going, continuous process of assessing and training drivers. This also shows the increasing commitment to driver safety and accident reduction because it embeds a culture of safe driving into the heart of a company, as opposed to it being something acted upon only occasionally.”