New technology is bringing unexpected headaches for business car managers.
The growing number of models with on-board hard drives for multi-media and personal information and preferences has created a ghost which can haunt vehicle owners long after the car or van passes out of their hands on the resale market.
Data protection legislation means any personal data on a vehicle’s hard-drive systems must be deleted.
The Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) has issued a best practice guide to its members to help them address the growing issue.
The technological evolution of satellite navigation, phone kits and entertainment systems means everyday more personal driver information is stored on the car’s hard drives, from their entire phone book to personal addresses.
Ultimately it is the driver’s responsibility to erase this data from their car before it goes back to the rental company, leasing company or franchised dealer, but that doesn’t always happen.
To protect members from passing on a driver’s personal data when they sell a car, the VRA is recommending a series of measures to adopt to help avoid possible consequences of passing on a driver’s personal details and the risk of contravening the Data Protection Act.
“We have yet to see major instances of any personal data being misused if it is inadvertently left on a car’s sat nav or in-car system, but this won’t be the case forever. We have, for example, seen an instance where a car buyer traced the previous company car driver to his home address to ask more details about the used car he had just purchased at auction,” said John Davies, the VRA’s chairman.
What you should do to protect data and your company from prosecution
- Ensure that wording is included in customer contracts and master hire agreements informing their customer’s drivers of their obligations
- Signed confirmation must be received by the vehicle owner as part of the vehicle dehire process that all data has been removed from the vehicle
- Action Delete All or Factory Reset, or similar functionality as part of their remarketing process before a car is sold
- Encourage individual companies to conduct a Privacy Impact Assessment
You can keep up to date on the latest business car issues with Business Car Manager and its especially important for those who run a small fleet and may not be fully aware of implications.
