Road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick has warned British businesses that accidents could be costing £3.7 billion a year and every fleet, no matter how small, has to take action.

The hard-hitting warning is intended to hammer home the financial impact of crashes in addition to the human toll, with an estimated 1,000 people a year dying in at-work road incidents.

Mr Fitzpatrick, whose comments are revealed on www.riskinfleet.co.uk - the website for the Risk in Fleet conference, which takes place on April 22, said: “The cost to industry of at-work road traffic accidents has been estimated at between £2.7 billion and £3.7 billion a year.

“There is no fleet size limit below which driver safety is not good business. All employers have a legal responsibility for the safety of all their staff including employees on the move."

Risk in Fleet will include case studies from some of Britain’s safest fleets, while there will also be detailed presentations from other industry experts on a range of issues covering the conference themes of corporate risk and financial risk.

Full details of speakers and the day’s events are available by logging onto www.riskinfleet.co.uk
Alternatively, call Maddie Collins on 01733 468171 or email madaline.collins@emap.com