Almost four in ten business drivers have been given points on their licence from work-related driving offences, according to research from telematics provider Masternaut.
In total, 39 percent of business drivers said that they had received points on their licence for work-related driving misdemeanours. Almost two-thirds (62 percent) of those with points had committed speeding offences.
Masternaut surveyed 2,000 UK employees who drive as part of their job, to examine the effect of employee penalty points amassed when driving for work. Business drivers with points on their licence, on average, have accrued seven from work-related offences.
Other offences include driving without reasonable consideration for other road users (15 percent), driving without due care or attention (14 percent), traffic-light related offences (14 percent) and dangerous driving (10 percent).
This follows UK accident data released in June 2015 by the Department for Transport, reporting an overall increase of six percent in road casualties in 2014, the first increase since 1997.
Despite more than a third of drivers getting penalty points on their licence from work offences, almost three quarters say that they are confident they would pass their driving test again. Meanwhile, seven in ten business drivers are confident that they know all the laws of the road.
However, more than half of business drivers said that driving training would make them better and safer drivers. Previous research from Masternaut revealed that 70 percent of business drivers aren’t offered driver training by their employers.
Steve Towe, chief commercial officer and UK managing director, said: “There are a worrying number of business drivers on our roads who are driving in a manner that is serious enough for them to have points put on their licence.
“Telematics provides broader social benefits beyond simple vehicle tracking and can help towards reducing the number of points accrued by drivers on the job.
“Not only can it provide fleets with the information to pinpoint offenders, the technology can provide ongoing driver feedback to improve drivers’ behaviour when they’re at work.”
