Firms are being warned to reconsider their approach to mobile phone use behind the wheel as employees say they are coming under pressure to answer their hand-held work phone whilst driving.  

The warning comes from AA DriveTech after a survey showed that, of 6,973 participants who drive for work and have a work mobile phone, nearly one in five (19%) do not agree their employer actively encourages safe and legal use of mobile phones while driving for work or commuting by car. 

Around one in six (15%) feel under pressure to answer their hands-free work mobile when driving for work or commuting.

Simon Stammers, AA DriveTech Fleet director, said: ‘We understand that people are often under considerable pressure to be available to their work at all times.

‘But, driving is the most dangerous task the majority of employees undertake while at work, so feeling that you have to respond to calls, texts and emails when you are driving is an unnecessary risk. It is especially worrying that some people say they have been explicitly told they should respond to calls, texts and emails when they are driving.

‘Employers have a statutory duty of care and, besides the risk to their employees, they are putting themselves at risk of liability and criminal charges in the event of a crash if the company’s actions, or lack of them, is deemed to have contributed to the incident.’ 

In 2012 there were around 4,500 collisions on Kent’s roads, with roughly 1 in 4 of those involving someone driving for work, and very few businesses invest the time to comply with their duty of care. 

Kent-based Fleet Managers and Managing Directors are encouraged to come along to one our workshops: www.drivingbusinesssafely.org