Alarming figures show that, when driving a company car, people are 12% more likely to flout speed limits, than when driving a privately owned vehicle.
A staggering 87% of company car drivers say that they regularly speed when on the motorway. The road safety charity Brake spells out the issue simply: “company car drivers take more risks.”
This is no small problem; there are some 840,000 company cars driving every day on Britain’s roads – if most of them are speeding then the issue becomes a major public safety concern.
In light of this, it is high time that fleet managers step up to their duty of care and clamp down on their speeding fleets.
Speeding motivations
Individuals driving in company cars are, understandably, likely to be on their way to and from work appointments and thus running on a schedule which they will be keen to stick to.
This embeds time pressure into the fabric of company car driving and creates a ‘rush to arrive’ culture amongst drivers.
Unfortunately, in the modern world of work, the desire to arrive on time often overrides the desire to drive safely.
Another important factor driving the high levels of speeding may be that companies themselves are tolerant of it.
If all the employees of an organisation are able to make it from point A to point B in 30 minutes, then anyone joining will feel they should be too – even if this means speeding.
Permissive attitudes to speeding fines are commonplace: fleet managers often find it is easier to simply pay them and move on rather than take evasive action.
This ‘slap on the wrist’ culture, rather than real consequences for dangerous driving, teaches employees that speeding is not a major issue and that getting around quickly is more important.
The results of this time pressure and relaxed attitude are that over half (60%) of company car drivers feel it is completely acceptable to drive above the speed limit – a figure which suggests that fleet managers are falling seriously short in enforcing good driving attitudes and standards.
Putting on the brakes
It is clear from these figures that something needs to be done, and it is up to fleet managers to step up to the plate and take action.
Driver training is evidently falling far short on its responsibilities to engender safe driving practices into the fleet.
The primary issue which must be addressed in any training is making sure that drivers are aware of speed limits and their legal obligation to follow them.
According to our research, 85% of people know they should read up on the highway code but only a third actually do so.
Speeding is the leading cause of crashes and fatalities on Britain’s roads and training should emphasise that there will be consequences for offences.
Training on this issue needs to teach drivers to do more than look at the signs – motorists must be aware of national speed limits, school zones, and temporary restrictions to ensure they are always travelling within the limit.
When it comes to the consequences, the blasé attitudes to speeding fines need to come to a hard stop. Companies must penalise their drivers found to be speeding by making them personally liable for the fines.
This shifting of accountability removes financial burden from the organisation by placing the cost risk on the individual – a measure which will dramatically drive down speeding.
The unfortunate reality is that education alone may not be enough. Even with the best training in the world, time pressure on the roads will persist – for some, the lure of the accelerator pedal may simply prove too much.
Speed limiters may be the only answer. This may not be as controversial as some may think; our own data shows that most UK drivers support every car being installed with a black box; speed limiters are the logical next step.
Fleets with these devices installed have a 50% lower crash rate than those without, and also save significantly on fuel, maintenance, and insurance.
For organisations looking to put an end to speeding quickly and decisively, speed limiters are the answer.
Green light to tackle speeding
The chief benefit of dealing with speeding is, of course, improvements to safety. A reduction in accidents does, however, have a multitude of other benefits.
Being involved in a car crash means that the individual will need to take time off work. This may cause difficulties with covering shifts and medical expenses placing undue burden on colleagues.
Another financial benefit will come from lower insurance premiums – a fleet which can demonstrate that it obeys the rules of the road will be deemed lower risk by insurance and therefore charged less.
Reputation is also crucial in today’s world – and there is nothing worse for it than a crashed company car at the side of the road, crumpled logo on display for all to see.
Instead, demonstrating that the company values employee and public safety will actively improve public image, rather than tarnish it.
The slower road ahead
Company car drivers have a speeding problem, and something needs to be done to curb it. Addressing the reasons behind it; time pressure, company culture, and overly relaxed attitudes, may not be enough.
Robust training and the introduction of penalties may go some of the way to fixing things, but if they don’t then it may be time to install physical limiters in vehicles to slow them down once and for all.
The benefits of doing so are clear, safer roads, lower costs, improved company reputation, and, above all, safer employees.
John Kushnick is legal operations director at National Accident Helpline
