IAM survey reveals work drivers 'untrained'

Many employees who drive as part of their work say they have never received information or training about the risks they face while on the road.

A survey conducted for the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) found that over half the drivers (53%) who drive as part of their work say they have never received any information or training from their employers about road safety issues.

It is estimated that a 1,000 people are killed while driving for work each year - nearly a third of all road deaths - and another 13,000 are seriously injured.

Seven out of ten employees say their employers neither offer nor require medical check-ups (70%), a driver risk assessment or training (75%), or training on basic vehicle safety checks (75%). And six out of ten (64%) say their employers have not offered or required even a basic eyesight test.

According to the survey, only one in four employers checks that a private car is insured for business use (24%) or, if it is over three years old, that it has a valid MOT (27%). Only just over half (54%) of employers periodically check the validity of their employees' driving licences.

Nearly half of employees admit that pressures from their employer or work lead them to break the speed limit (48%) or lose their temper with other motorists (46%). One in five (20%) admits to using a handheld mobile while driving because of work pressure.

Only one in eight (12%) employers is said to have a policy banning the use of mobiles except when stopped. And the survey found that one in four (24%) of employees said their firm had no policy at all on using mobile phones.

Overall, when employees were asked to what extent they thought their employers were concerned about their personal safety on the road whilst driving for work, three out of ten (31%) replied that their employers were "not very" or "not at all" concerned.

The IAM described employers' apparent lack of concern for employees who drive as part of their jobs as "frightening".

IAM Chief Executive, Christopher Bullock, said: "We are shocked by the scale of these findings. Too many employers think their responsibility for employees when they're at work ends at the front door or the factory gate. Employers who fail to look after staff who are out on the road risk accidents that can result in employees being killed. Quite apart from being irresponsible, it is bad for their business."

The survey polled 1000 drivers from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(SP/GB)