The recent case of a 61-year old businessman being sentenced to jail for 22months after causing the death of a young boy while driving without insurance or licence has put into focus the need for fleets to regularly check licences of all company drivers, says RAC Risk Management.
Mold Crown Court, Wales heard that company director, David Lunn was convicted to causing death by driving while unlicensed and uninsured, as well as perverting the course of justice. Nine year old Robbie Gaunt was hit by Lunn, a director of Premier Bodies Ltd, who failed stop and later arranged to have his bonnet and grille replaced.
David Abbott, Technical Director at RAC Risk Management, commented: “The driver in this case was found to never have had a valid driving licence or insurance, and ended up paying with his liberty – even though the judge accepted that it was an accident and not caused by dangerous or careless driving.
“Circumstances like these reinforce the need for companies to be vigilant and have sound procedures in place for checking drivers’ licences and, with grey fleet drivers, business insurance.”
RAC Risk Management’s licence checking programme enables accurate checking of the validity of a driver licence, directly with the DVLA. The result, which includes details of all convictions including speeding, forms part of a driver risk assessment and produces an accurate, documented and auditable record.
The checking process also confirms that the driver is licensed to drive the class of vehicle allocated to them. It creates awareness of any endorsement that could place either the individual or the company at risk, and ensures that spouses and other nominated drivers are also checked.
It operates through a Data Protection Act release form that is valid for three years which grants permission to obtain a copy of the driver’s record from the DVLA as frequently as required over the three year term.
RAC Risk Management recommends annual checks for drivers with up to 4pts on their licence, six-monthly checks with those with 5-8pts and three-monthly checks for those with 9pts or more and prior disqualifications.