A recent case held at Mold Crown Court, in which a company director was heard to have been driving whilst unlicensed and uninsured whilst involved in the hit and run of a 9 year old boy has been found guilty of causing the death of the child and perverting the course of justice and sentenced to 22 months.
RAC Risk Management say the case of company director, David Lunn, 61 who drove off after hitting Robbie Gaunt, 9, reinforces the need for regular licence checks on all company drivers. Lunn, a director of a company named Premier Bodies Ltd in St Martin’s, near Oswestry, Shropshire, failed to 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 allows the checking of licence validity, conviction history, vehicle class allocation and produces an accurate, documented and auditable record. 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. 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.
The programme operates through a Data Protection Act release form grants permission to obtain a copy of the driver’s record from the DVLA as frequently as required over a three year term. It also makes recommendations for the regularity of checks based on the driver’s previous endorsements. For drivers deemed most at risk RAC Risk Management will make recommendations to help improve safety, including online e-learning and workshop or behind the wheel training.
“Regular licence checks in this way ensure a company is meeting its obligations under HSE guidelines and S87 (2) of the 1988 Road Traffic Act,” added David Abbott.