The call comes from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) after its Drive & Survive division conducted a survey in 2014 that revealed that 72% of people who drove for business reasons had been offered no training by their employer at all – even though 44% of them said they would welcome the opportunity.
Yet according to Driving for Better Business, up to one in three road crashes involves a vehicle being driven for work.
Every week, around 200 road deaths and serious injuries involve someone at work.
While driver training courses are widely available, the IAM has expressed its disappointment that very few employers choose to enroll their company drivers in them. It added that fleets are legally obliged to protect their employees, and suggests contracts involving road use should be looking to include ISO 39001, which sets out the minimum requirements for a Road Traffic Safety Management System.
In addition, the IAM is calling for public sector procurement guidelines that insist that contracts only go to companies with a road risk policy or ISO 39001 accreditation, and that Health and Safety regulations should be extended to include people driving for business.
Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: ‘Employers, and those awarding any contracts which put vehicles on the road, have a duty of care to all other road users to ensure that road safety is a top priority 24/7. ISO 39001 and driver risk management programmes are the best way of ensuring this has happened. Therefore, anyone using drivers for any official purpose should insist their employer holds this accreditation or can demonstrate clearly they have addressed the risks their drivers face on the road. It is the simplest way of knowing those individuals are safer and their vehicles are fit for the road.’
