COMPANY car drivers are more likely to be caught speeding than other road users, with one-in-six receiving points last year.

Analysis of 100,000 company car drivers found that 16,000 had received tickets in 2005, while for UK motorists as a whole the ratio was one-in-10.

The research, carried out by vehicle management firm LeasePlan, suggests that the problem of speeding company car drivers is even more widespread than originally thought, and that as a result companies are dependent on fleet managers to have a rigorous licence checking procedure in place to keep an eye on errant drivers and ensure employees are not flouting bans in order to save their jobs.

Part of the problem is that many drivers are dismissive of the speed camera road safety culture with just one-in-eight believing the system is the best way to make the roads safer, according to insurance firm Swiftcover, which reckons there are 2.2 million speeding convictions every year. It says the number of tickets has gone up by 328% in the past 10 years.

David Brennan, managing director of LeasePlan UK, said: ‘Although companies are directly responsible for speeding fines incurred by employees, they have a legal duty of care to reduce risk and ensure that drivers are safe behind the wheel. Reducing the number of their company car drivers who speed forms part of that responsibility.

‘Companies don’t want a situation where employees are off the road because they have too many penalty points. They also don’t want their insurance bills rising because their drivers have been caught speeding.’