FLEETS which allow staff to drive their own cars on company business should put strict safety procedures in place - or ban the practice altogether.

The call from fleet management company Interleasing suggests that companies adopt a zero-tolerance approach to private car use.

They should encourage vital safety and suitability checks be put in place, or ban their use, to meet their duty of care to employees.

The call follows research Interleasing carried out which found that almost 60% of respondents use their own cars for business, with 88% saying they had no company checks, such as MOT or service record, to ensure their private vehicles were safe to drive.

Of more concern was the fact that 81% of drivers had never been asked whether they had business insurance for the vehicle and 36% hadn’t even had their driving licences checked.

Anthony Dowdall, who is responsible for Interleasing’s risk management service, ProAct, said: ‘This is a worrying trend and rather like a parent giving a child a box of matches and thinking the consequences would have nothing to do with them.’

The company suggests that the following procedures are put in place in such instances to avoid falling foul of Health and Safety legislation.

Is the car is roadworthy with a current MOT (if more than three years old)?

Is the driver licensed?

Is the vehicle insured for business use?

Check the car is regularly serviced

Is the employee carrying out basic maintenance checks?

Ensure the employee has membership of a roadside recovery organisation

Check the car is suitable for its purpose