“This should be a real wake-up call to all businesses managing fleets,” warns Richard Brown, managing director of driving licence checking and monitoring specialist Licencecheck.
“The risk to those operating fleets, regardless of size should not be overlooked,” he insists.
Brown is advising all fleet operators to ensure that driving risks are properly assessed, and that their drivers are properly trained and remain licensed.
Home-made policies no longer provide adequate protection, he says, adding that merely putting a policy in place doesn’t work either – it must also be enforced rigorously.
“The same obligations apply to drivers using their own vehicles... A prudent employer should ensure these vehicles are properly insured, serviced and maintained by their owners and properly record this information. The risk is now too great to simply ignore.”