The most effective way for fleets to manage rising insurance costs is by working to improve their driver safety record.
So says Arval as latest ABI figures show the average motor insurance premium has risen by 8% since Q1, 2016.
David Watts, fleet consultant, explained: “Reducing the number and the severity of collisions in which your vehicles are involved will impact the overall cost of claims and, over time, have an effect on the premium itself.
“Organisations achieve this by embedding road safety into the culture of their business, further developing their existing work-related road risk management programme or, where one does not exist, creating the necessary framework.”
Key points that needed to be covered, Watts explained, included raising awareness of good driving practices, reviewing claims and incident data, looking at performance against safety targets and making line managers accountable for the driving behaviours of their direct reports.
Watts added: “This last point is very important. The line manager is often the best person to influence behavioural change in drivers in accordance with company objectives.
“Of course, those managers need to be effectively supported with an engaging programme of driver communications on a variety of road safety issues, spelling out its impact on the business through mediums such as information documents, workshops, seminars, training and social media.”
