A recent survey by National found that the majority of small and medium sized companies simply don’t have the internal travel policies to protect both employee and employer.
Neil McCrossan Vice President Commercial Development, explains “Our survey found that 64% of SMEs were not even aware of the proposed Corporate Manslaughter bill. This is compounded by the fact a third of all road accidents involve someone driving for work purposes*. What’s more if employees are using their own vehicles for business travel, the employer should ensure that the vehicle is maintained to manufacturer specifications. Worryingly, only 38% of companies surveyed actually inspect employee vehicles.
“Whilst we need some urgent clarification from The Government on the whole issue of Duty of Care, businesses are well-advised to do as much as they can to protect themselves using all the resources available to them.
DUTY OF CARE· Read the HSE Booklet ‘Driving at Work’ http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg382.pdf· Start with the basics:· Create a written road safety policy that all employees are made familiar with· Engender a safe driving culture throughout the company· Monitor all drivers’ working hours including travelling times·
Check an employee’s driving licence regularly·
Assess the driving capabilities of new staff ·
Consider vehicle rental to provide staff with safe and reliable vehicles suited for the job.
Rental vehicles are fully maintained, covered by roadside assistance and less then 6-months old·
Encourage staff to use a rental vehicle rather than their own for business trips·
Use daily rental or mini-leasing to supplement your fleet at times of high demand
Neil McCrossan concludes, “The sheer fact that daily rental is so flexible makes it a very viable and necessary solution for businesses who need to get their staff out on the road in the knowledge that they are in safe reliable vehicles. This solution in combination with the provision of safe driving skills will ensure a business is supporting its duty of care responsibilities.”
*Source: DETR
-ENDS-
January 2006
Notes to Editors:
In the UK, National Car Rental has over 170 locations and a fleet of 45,000 vehicles.
National Car Rental is the winner of the Best Daily Rental Company Award in the Fleet News Awards 2005 - the eleventh year that the company has won this prestigious award.
National is also winner of the Daily Rental Service Award in the Fleet Excellence Awards 2003, 2004 and 2005, the Innovation Award in the Fleet World Honours 2004, Best Call Centre Training Award in the prestigious European Call Centre Awards for 2004 and has been named UK Car Rental Company 2005 and 2006, and European Car Rental Company 2003, 2004 and 2005 by the Institute of Transport Management (EITM) Awards Committee. National has also achieved the highest level National Training Award.
Cars and vans in the UK can be booked online at www.nationalcar.co.uk
National Car Rental now operates in 83 countries worldwide, with around 3,200 locations and a fleet in excess of 350,000.
Alison Reeson, PR Manager of www.nationalcar.co.uk for information, news and quotes for car hire in the UK.
