TWO-thirds of company car drivers have not had any guidance from their employers on the forthcoming ban on using mobile phones on the move, despite the majority of fleet managers claiming they are 'actively discouraging' their drivers from using them.

With a couple of weeks until the ban comes into force, 97% of fleet managers claimed to be discouraging the use of mobile phones and 92% said they had a policy in place.

The gulf between fleet managers and their drivers suggests a serious communication failure on the behalf of many companies, particularly as drivers are not ignorant about the new law and widely support it.

The survey, put together by Interleasing, revealed the strength of opposition among company car drivers to using mobile phones on the road. Half of business motorists (52%) want to see much tougher penalties for motorists caught using a mobile phone than those coming into force next month.

Nick Brownrigg, managing director of Interleasing, said: 'Clearly, if this is the case, fleet managers need to rethink the way they communicate with drivers as the message is not getting through. It is not enough to simply have a mobile phone policy, it has to be well communicated and actively encouraged so it becomes part of the company culture.

'What surprised us about the level of the survey is the strength of support for the ban from drivers themselves. While 86% supported the ban, over half didn't think the penalty was harsh enough to discourage the illegal use of phones.

'You could say this was like turkeys voting for Christmas, but we take the view that this demonstrates a much more responsible attitude from company car drivers.' The ban on hand-held mobile phones will come into force on December 1, and carries a minimum penalty of £30.