Posted: Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Some drivers will know that car insurance companies consider employment when calculating premiums. One's employment is not a major contributor to premium calculations, but it is a factor nonetheless. Insurance underwriters consider employment in light of statistics that show certain professions tend to have riskier drivers.
To explain what we mean, consider a 2014 survey that showed nine out of the ten worst drivers in Britain are involved in the medical profession. The statistics used to create the survey were based on 2 million accident reports and claims. According to that data, the ten worst kinds of drivers are:
The survey found that the best drivers are pickers, packers, and abattoir workers. No explanation was offered for the findings, but some studies conducted in the past indicate that work-related stress and distraction may have something to do with it. The belief is that the more stressful a person's job, the more likely he or she is to be involved in an accident.
Of course, the statistics are directly related to the use of personal vehicles by the workers in question. However, it does lead one to ask whether there are certain kinds of professional driving jobs that are more stressful than others are, leading to more risky driving. It stands to reason that there are. This is one of the primary reasons companies with vehicles on the road should be tracking driving licences and records regularly. Company owners and fleet managers need to be aware of their employee's driving habits in order to protect themselves and their companies.
A regular licence-checking programme keeps companies abreast of how their individual drivers are doing. Any points or penalties added to a licence since the last check will show up on the report, as will some accidents. The thing to remember is that company drivers are not always up front about their driving history for fear of losing their jobs.
Unfortunately, allowing a driver on the road who is truly unfit for the task could end up hurting a company's reputation and/or finances. All it takes is one accident to cause a lot of problems. This is something the average UK business cannot afford. It is far better to invest the time and resources in regular licence checks than to risk putting a worker on the road who should not be behind the wheel.
Fleet Licence Check has been in the claims handling and licence checking business for years. We routinely run as many as 20,000 licence checks annually on behalf of motoring companies of all sizes. We can provide one-off service for your company, or develop a comprehensive package that involves both licence checks and claims handling.
Do some of Britain's worst drivers work for you? If so, you need to know.
Source: The Mirror Online