Last October research by Arval, one of the UK’s leading business car specialists, demonstrated wide scale issues with employees using their own cars on business. Now, follow up research has highlighted that their message is getting through and some businesses seem to be taking steps to reduce their risk with the new Corporate Manslaughter Bill coming into force.

The new findings show that since Arval’s original ‘grey fleet’ research 46% of respondents are currently reviewing their fleet duty of care, and a further 22% have already completed a review. Of these 9% have not only completed a review but have already implemented the necessary changes.  

The original research carried out last year showed that policing and management of grey fleets does not reach the high standards that many employers bring to their company car fleets. At the time nearly 1 in 4 vehicles on the road being driven on business was a grey fleet vehicle, with 83% of businesses having no procedures in place to check that non-company cars are regularly maintained and 74% of businesses not asking their employees for a valid MOT certificate for their vehicles.

The primary area of concern for own vehicle business driving was insurance and the new research shows that some companies have responded to this as 6% more businesses are now checking that drivers of non-company vehicles driven on company business have the correct insurance.

The findings suggest that Arval’s original research made businesses sit up and take notice, especially with the Governments Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007 coming into force on 6 April 2008. Alongside a clear police focus on incidents involving work related driving, the act does not introduce any new obligations on a company to comply with existing health and safety legislation but does make it possible to prosecute a corporate entity following fatal accidents. The actions of senior management involved in any prosecution will be put under renewed focus as a result of the new law.

In the run up to this new legislation coming into force other positive news is that since the last piece of research 9% more respondents ask drivers of non-company vehicles to produce an MOT certificate for vehicles more than 3 years old and 9% more respondents check whether vehicles driven on company business are serviced at regular intervals.

Jenny Powley, Arval Director Large Corporate Group, comments:

“Our original findings demonstrated that grey fleet vehicles are not subject to the same rigorous reporting and inspection procedures given to company cars so it is encouraging that this new research has highlighted that the grey fleet safety message we have taken to the market is starting to have an effect.”

She added:

“Grey fleet vehicles that are unsafe and not fit-for-purpose put employees and other road users at risk so are a big concern to us. On the back of our research we urge businesses to review their fleet duty of care, making our roads safer and reducing their own exposure to legal action through negligence and failing to meet duty of care obligations. It’s also important to remember that a safe well driven fleet is also likely to be more cost effective and less environmentally damaging.”

Overview of research findings:

• 46% of businesses are reviewing their fleet duty of care.  
• 12% of businesses have completed a review in the last 4 months and changes are being implemented.
• Over 9% of businesses have completed a review in the last 4 months and changes are in place.
• Since the last piece of research 6% more respondents are checking that drivers of non-company vehicles driven on company business have the correct insurance.
• Since the last piece of research 9% more respondents require drivers of non-company vehicles driven on company business to produce MOT certificate for vehicles more than 3 years old.
• Since the last piece of research 9% more respondents check whether vehicles driven on company business are serviced at regular intervals.
• 16% of businesses do not plan to take any action regarding their fleet duty of care.
• 16% of businesses are not aware of the Corporate Manslaughter Bill.

Additional health and safety statistics:

Health & Safety Executive Statistics

• It is estimated that 150 road deaths and serious injuries each week involve someone at work. That means an estimated one third of all crashes involves somebody who was at work at the time - that’s a tragic waste of about 1,000 lives every year.
• In 2000 the HSE estimated the costs to employers arising from ‘at-work’ road traffic accidents to be in the region of £2.7 billion per annum.

Department for Transport Statistics

• About a quarter of all vehicle miles travelled annually on Britain’s roads are for work purposes (excluding commuting).
• There are an estimated three million company cars on the roads and roughly 1 in 3 will be involved in an accident each year.
• Company drivers who drive more than 80% of their annual mileage on work related journeys have more than 50% more injury accidents than similar drivers who do no work related mileage.
• The annual risk of dying in a road accident while driving for business reasons is significantly greater than the risk of dying as a result of all other workplace accidents.
• About 300 people are killed each year as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. About 4 in 10 tiredness-related crashes involve someone driving a commercial vehicle.
• Work-related road accidents are the biggest cause of work-related accidental death. Between 800 and 1000 people are killed annually in work-related road traffic accidents compared to approximately 250 fatalities due to accidents notified annually under the Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
• Business drivers have collision rates that are 30 - 40% higher than those of private drivers.

For further information please call Graham Nichols, PR Manager, on 01793 894453 

E-mail graham.nichols@arval.co.uk

Grey Fleet report

The research was conducted among 107 fleet managers and those with fleet responsibility who took part in the initial research. An internet questionnaire was used with a postal option. Those with a fleet size responsibility of 50-500+, sub-50 and sub-25 were all included in the research.

Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007

If a court finds that a work-related death resulted from gross failures in the way an organisation managed or organised its activities, it can impose unlimited fines together with remedial orders and publicity orders requiring the organisation to publish details of its conviction.

Unlike the existing offence of gross negligence manslaughter (which still exists), the new Act does not require the prosecution to prove that an individual person or persons was responsible for the death. Instead, courts will look at management systems and practices right across the organisation.