A
new survey shows that companies are at risk from both a duty of care and an
operational perspective by employees using their own cars for work-related
travel.
The
study of 2,466 employees in the UK, France and Germany by Enterprise
Rent-A-Car found that more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of German drivers, 61 per cent
of French drivers and 53 per cent of UK grey fleet drivers admit that they
don’t regularly conduct any basic vehicle maintenance checks themselves.
The
research further revealed that UK grey fleet drivers are also the most likely
to have a regularly checked and roadworthy spare tyre in their car, but still
around half (49 per cent) do not, compared to 53 per cent in France and 60 per
cent in Germany.
Some
32 per cent of UK drivers surveyed and 28 per cent of those in France and
Germany admitted that they have actually missed or were late to a business
meeting because they were sorting out a vehicle repair.
Adrian
Bewley, assistant vice president of business mobility for Europe at Enterprise,
said: “Unmanaged business travel is a huge concern for businesses and the
public sector across Europe, especially now that many employees work from home
and often use their own cars for work because they see it as an easier option.
The costs of mileage and kilometre reimbursement are rarely tracked and can
lead to businesses spending tens of thousands of pounds and Euros on potentially
unsafe business travel.
“The
risks over driver health and safety and CO2 emissions can be even more
pronounced as grey fleet cars tend to be older and more polluting and may lack
the latest safety equipment. Again, many businesses have no way to track and
control what vehicles their employees are driving for work.
“It’s
a particular challenge for multinational corporations with offices and
employees in multiple countries. They need to be able to track how, when and
where their people drive for work in different regions, and put all of them in
safe, modern vehicles that can be easily managed.”