PROPOSALS to fit speed limiters to company cars in a bid to cut accident rates have been criticised as 'dangerous' and 'pointless' by a safety expert.

Jody Oliver, managing director of The Advanced Driving School, criticised the proposal, saying it did nothing to address the root cause of accidents.

He said: 'Speed limiters will be a danger on motorways because drivers will be incapable of accelerating out of dangerous situations, and limiters will not prevent drivers from speeding in 30mph and 40mph zones where the majority of accidents happen.'

The speed limiter proposal appeared in a consultation paper called Safe Roads, Safe Communities published by the National Assembly of Wales. It identified company car drivers alongside younger drivers and older motorcyclists as road users who should be targeted with education and training.

But Oliver slammed the document, saying: 'The practical test does not include motorway driving or night driving so from the very start drivers are ill-equipped.'

'Company car drivers are usually employed to drive thousands of miles under extreme pressure to meet the demands of employers, most of which make no effort to check the drivers' ability or train them to behave properly on the road.'

He called for a Government-backed campaign to improve driving standards. 'About 95% of accidents are caused by driver error so until every driver is taught to drive safely the Government will never reach its target of reducing road deaths by 40% by 2010.' He added: 'Compulsory training and testing might be more difficult to implement but it would have more impact.'