BT, one of Britain's biggest fleets, is to put 55,000 drivers through an online risk assessment as part of a safety programme.

The telecommunications giant has already invested millions of pounds in driver safety, but the use of interactive systems is a major departure in its efforts to make sure staff are safe on the road.

The move follows a successful pilot of an interactive driver assessment system. The system is intended to identify those drivers who are most at risk and then instantly recommend appropriate action.

Risk management firm Peak Performance Management, which won the Vauxhall-sponsored Best Risk Management Company section as this year's Fleet News Awards, and systems developer Interactive Driving Systems have worked together to bring the online service to market.

Called RoadRISK, it is the result of two years work and £350,000 research and development investment. The firms said the developers are also discussing the system with a range of other blue chip companies.

RoadRISK, which can also be supplied in CD-Rom or in hard copy, has an interactive questionnaire with 55 questions which takes about 40-minutes to complete. It costs about £20 per driver.

James Sutherland, managing director of PPM, said: 'The RoadRISK assessment programme allows fleet managers to take a sniper's rifle to the problems of reducing driving risk on their fleets.

'The audit trail it creates provides demonstrable evidence of effective risk management.'

BT's investment in driver safety included a massive driver training campaign launched in 1998 called Drivewise, aimed at halving its annual £27 million accident repair bill. Research at the time showed that 20% of the drivers represented 80% of the risk.