We all know the dangers of driving whilst using a handheld mobile phone and the penalties for being caught doing so. But that doesn’t seem to be enough to stop us from doing it.
The RAC have published some very worrying statistics about driving and phone use which alarmingly show that the number of drivers choosing to put themselves and others at risk is rising.
47% of people age 25-34 and 39% of people age 35-44 admit to making and receiving calls whilst driving. In both age group that percentage increases when stationary.
The report also shows that around a third of people also think that sending texts, emails and updating their social media when they are driving is acceptable.
We’re not too sure what worries us the most, that fact that these numbers are so high or that drivers don’t seem to mind admitting what they are doing.
At vivoHR we advise all our clients who have company vehicles to have a Vehicle Use Agreement in place to issue to their staff. This clearly sets out all expectations and obligations of the employee responsible for the vehicle. It also gives the business some protection should something go wrong.
Should an employee have an accident when driving a company vehicle, the business owner may make the decision to take the cost of the insurance excess out of the employee’s salary. That all seems fair enough but did you know that without an agreement in place the employee would potentially be able to raise a tribunal claim for unlawful deduction of wages, that doesn’t seem quite so fair at all…
For the full report from the RAC click here
For details of our vehicle use agreement contact us today.