FLEET safety and risk management company Peak Performance Management claims calls to limit company car drivers' journeys to 350 miles a day do not go far enough to reduce accidents.

Its comments follow recommendations by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) that fleets should limit round-trip journeys and ban drivers from powerful cars unless they can prove they have the skills to drive the vehicle safely.

'It is very difficult for employers to control the number of hours staff spend driving to and from appointments as most organise their own schedules, with many people incentivised by volume, as well as by responding to customers quickly – whatever side of the country they may be located,' said Peak Performance Management director of risk management services, Les Hammond.

He added: 'If we take RoSPA's guidelines literally and work out that the average driver speed, taking into account speed limits, delays and roadworks, is about 45mph, then a 350-mile journey would take about 7.5 hours without stoppages.

'If this type of journey is consistently repeated, the driver will be on the move for nearly 50 hours per week.

Peak Performance Management, winner of Best Risk Management Company in this year's Fleet News Awards, advises drivers to complete their high mileages earlier in the week to 'avoid accumulative tiredness and traffic volumes, which are a major cause of accidents'.

Earlier this year, RoSPA issued a series of proposals as part of its campaign to improve safety among fleet drivers.