MAJOR fears about the health and safety risk of employees driving private cars on business could lead to a boom in rental demand, claims Godfrey Davis (Contract Hire).

The firm made the claim after Driving on Company Business, part of the RAC Report on Motoring 2003, said an estimated five million employees use their own cars for business trips, yet only 2% of fleet executives check to see if private cars used by employees for work are safe to drive.

Godfrey Davis' director responsible for short-term hire, Peter Leaver, believes that hiring short-term vehicles, even daily, not only ensures drivers have properly insured but roadworthy vehicles, it could also result in substantial savings for employers.

He said: 'Although some companies have seen the light over the strategic use of short-term rental vehicles, many have yet to do so. Organisations that are employing them do so largely for economic reasons; the growing concern over corporate liability of drivers using their own vehicles on company business is adding to the viability of the principle.'

Leaver claims that many employers have not calculated the savings that short-term rental could offer.

He said: 'An example would be a driver making a 400-mile round trip between London and Manchester. Paying the driver 40p per mile would cost the employer £160, whereas hiring in something such as a Vauxhall Astra, including fuel, would amount to around £66, a saving of nearly £100.'

The company has calculated that the financial break-even point for drivers using short-term hire is around 90 miles per day.