Employees using their own cars at work are ‘health and safety timebomb’
The rise in employees using their own cars on business has created a fleet of unchecked and unmanaged drivers who are a potential health and safety timebomb for employers likely to be a prime target for new Corporate Manslaughter legislation.
A new report from Arval, one of the UK’s leading business car specialists, on the ‘grey fleet’ has highlighted that as many as one in four vehicles used on business would be at risk.
Amounting to over one million cars, these vehicles are potentially poorly maintained and incorrectly insured raising fears for driver safety.
Named because of the lack of information known about such vehicles, the grey fleet describes drivers’ own vehicles used for business travel.
Employers are failing to check even basic details about private vehicles. The report highlights that 83% of businesses have no procedures in place to check that non-company cars are regularly maintained, while 74% of businesses do not ask their employees for a valid MOT certificate for their vehicles. The report also reveals that 35% of businesses do not check the driving licences of non-company car drivers and 53% have no policy for knowing that the vehicle is insured for business use.
But why should they? If an employee wishes to use thier own car rather then be clobbered by a company car tax, the employer should not be responsible and I cannot believe someone using thier own car would not have the sense to properly maintain it.
FemaleFirst Jackie Violet