AN independent installer of hands-free phone kits for the fleet industry has seen a ten-fold increase in demand for new installations.

Toad Group says demand is still rising in the run-up to December 1, when the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving will be outlawed.

Paul Hughes, Toad's director of sales – technical services, said: 'Fleets have always put drivers first when it comes to safety and the rush to beat the December 1 deadline shows that companies are bringing forward planned installations.'

The company said some fleet operators were concerned about the implications of installing equipment into leased vehicles or the logistics of bringing large fleets in line with the legislation while minimising downtime.

But Hughes said: 'We can install hands-free kits using a no-drill technique and kits can be moved from vehicle to vehicle. We have also introduced a 'home/work' installation service whereby downtime is minimised as the installations can take place out of hours and at an employee's home.'