Fleet van insurance news
09/04/2009

RoSPA study focuses on younger van drivers

In news that is bound to prove interesting to any business that relies on its workers being safe and efficient while out on the roads, a Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) study has claimed that most 17 to 24 year-olds are ill-prepared for the challenges they will face driving at work. Not only does this study identify younger drivers a particular risk when driving at night or in difficult weather conditions, it also helps explain why some employers avoid employing younger drivers, believing that they will jeopardise their chances of receiving cheap fleet van insurance.

Reassuringly, there is plenty of evidence to suggest employers are educating and training younger drivers, both in order to improve workplace safety and to protect the competitiveness of their business's fleet van insurance.

The RoSPA report states: "Employers are not relying on the driving licence as evidence of competence in driving for work, many conduct their own assessments before allowing their employees to drive."

Unsurprisingly, fleet managers voiced concerns over the adequacy of the current driving test in preparing young workers for the challenges of driving at work, with up to 90% describing it as insufficient.

RoSPA believes that large-scale post-test training could be the answer to many of these concerns, as it has the potential to both reduce the number of accidents involving younger commercial vehicle drivers and to reduce the cost of fleet van insurance for those businesses that have a younger drivers among their workforces.