Employers are being offered guidance on how to reduce the?occupational road risk?for company car drivers.
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has published a handbook that contains information on the requirements they have to meet and advice on how to achieve these standards.
Among the issues covered in the handbook are driving in a fuel-efficient manner, carrying out vehicle checks and their obligations under the law. Details on driver licensing and various pieces of road safety advice will also be included.
According to the FTA, the Company Car Drivers' Handbook has been designed to work in tandem with each organisation's own individual policies and was produced following direct requests from its members.
"Driving places significant responsibilities on both drivers and their employers under road traffic as well as health and safety legislation," the group stated.
Sally Thornley, general manager of compliance information services at the FTA, added that the new guidebook makes a welcome addition to its existing range of publications, including books for van and goods vehicle operators.
"It should help anyone who drives a car for business purposes stay both safe and within the law," she commented.
The FTA added that the guidebook is the "perfect tool to help plan and manage journeys", especially as it is written in an "easy-to-read format".
One particularly useful feature of the book is the inclusion of blank pages towards the end. These have been incorporated to allow drivers to note down telephone numbers and other certain pieces of information they may require.
The Association of Car Fleet Operators has endorsed the guidebook, while Shell has been confirmed as a sponsor. The FTA is particularly pleased with the level of demand for the publication so far, noting that it received more than 100 advance orders from its members even before it had been properly released.
