Fleet management software in the press
Fleet Management - December 2007 Ignore at your peril
Ignore at your peril
Jason Francis, managing director of Jaama, says: 'The long-awaited law, which has finally passed on to the statute book and will come into force on April 6 next year, could be used to prosecute rogue companies whose drivers are involved in a serious road traffic accident. The new legislation will make it easier for companies to be prosecuted for gross negligence leading to deaths of employees or members of the public. Companies found guilty face unlimited fines.
'Even if the police do not believe they can get a successful prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act, they will continue to use laws including the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 against businesses breaching at-work driving rules.'
Jaama has already helped more than 800 companies compile occupational road safety strategies at regular seminars and its Key2 Vehicle Management software is instrumental in ensuring that companies put safety first. In the event of a serious and perhaps fatal crash involving an occupational driver, police officers will be looking for evidence of why the vehicle was at the scene, the mechanical condition of that vehicle and the physical condition of the driver.
'It is therefore imperative that companies are able to provide investigating police officers with comprehensive details on both vehicles and drivers. This includes such data as being able to prove that frequent vehicle safety checks are undertaken, vehicles are serviced in accordance with manufacturer warranties and driving licences are monitored. Companies should also remember that health and safety responsibility for at-work drivers rests with them, irrespective of who owns the vehicle being driven on business. Therefore, it is essential that staff who drive their own cars on business are included in all checks and policies.'
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