FLEET managers are being urged to remind company car drivers and staff using their own cars on business to ensure vehicles are properly secured when parked - for however short a period of time.

The plea comes from Ford fleet operations director Mike Wear, who is also chairman of the Home Office's Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team which has been charged with reducing car crime by 30% by March 2004.

'There is a corporate responsibility and an individual responsibility attached to making sure vehicles are secured properly when left alone - and that includes making sure keys are not left in the ignition when a vehicle is parked at a fuel station,' said Wear.

'When vehicles are stolen or damaged it impacts on society as a whole, but many instances are preventable. Fleet managers can help spread the word. Many fleets self-insure and if they have a theft, that impacts on their bottom line, while for those fleets which don't self-insure, their premiums will increase. Fleet managers should take responsibility and educate their drivers and users.'