Third of polled U.K. business drivers uninsured for job-related miles

About a third of polled drivers in the United Kingdom who drive as part of their jobs are uninsured for business miles, note recent survey results from telematics company Masternaut.

On average, drivers clock up 4,708 uninsured business miles per year while driving for work, reports Masternaut, the largest European provider of telematics.

Conducted for Masternaut by Atomik Research in early May, the survey is based on responses from 2,032 employees in the U.K. who drive as part of their jobs. Poll results include the following:

• 40% of surveyed drivers are unaware of legislation surrounding work-related road safety;
• 70% of respondents reported their employers do not provide any driver training to ensure they drive safely and efficiently;
• 19% of polled individuals have had an accident while driving for work; and
• 80% of respondents reported they thought they would be liable in the event of such an accident, while 20% thought their employers would be liable.

“These findings clearly demonstrate a vital need for employers to educate staff on safe driving practices,” says Martin Hiscox, CEO and chairman of Masternaut, adding that the technology, the tool-kits for training, monitoring and improving driver behaviour all exist.

“The insurance industry is spending £2.2 billion in claims annually, processing over 792,000 claims for commercial fleet insurance. This is the tip of the iceberg when you consider on-costs, downtime and the cost to businesses that self-insure,” Hiscox notes.

“It raises a bigger issue for employers about not having visibility of their mobile workforce, so they can ensure they are safe and can put steps in place to spot problems and deal with them,” he emphasizes.