Business driving licence checks are crucial, as driving for work is considered one of the most dangerous employee activities.
The Impact of Workplace Driving Safety
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that ‘more than quarter of all road traffic incidents may involve somebody who is driving as part of their work’. This statement is backed by police data which shows that every year more than 500 people are killed (almost one third of all road deaths), 5,000 seriously injured and almost 40,000 slightly injured in collisions involving drivers or riders who are driving for work. The research, published by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), emphasises the importance of proactively carrying out regular driver licence checks.
As a responsible employer you have many screening checks when onboarding new hires, most of which are for legal reasons and duty of care. Some of these checks should also be regularly carried throughout an employee’s time with the company.
DVLA driving licences is just one of these regular checks.
Why conduct licence checks?
Let’s explore the key reasons for implementing regular checks:
Legal Compliance
Employers have a legal duty to ensure their staff are qualified to drive and that they hold the specific categories required to operate the vehicles they use as part of their job. This means you should be aware of any bans and penalty points accrued.
Insurance Liability
Your employer liability insurance may rely on your drivers having valid driving licences – they may have to declare this beforehand. Without these regular checks you may be invalidating your insurance if a claim is made against the driver and company.
Safety and Risk Management
With more than 2.7 million drivers having at least one point on their licence, this makes them a risk to your operations as they are one step closer to a possible ban and at the very least, a law-breaker.
Along with regular training, driver licence checks give the employer peace of mind that employees are qualified and safe to use public roads. This reduces the risk of accidents and maintains the safety of other users of public roads and operational sites. From a quality point of view, this will reduce risk to finance and reputation.
Training Opportunities
Keeping a regular check on driving licences and their status helps to proactively identify areas to focus your training before an issue escalates. Focused training could then potentially reduce training costs, prioritising the issues that matter. For example, a bout of speeding fines and penalty points could lead to awareness training about speed limit changes on a well-used road and the dangers of complacency while driving familiar roads.
Accountability and Culture
Licence checks are a simple way of including your employees in the health and safety culture you are trying to cultivate. It not only reminds staff of the importance of carrying their licence while driving, but it shows you are making good on your organisation’s commitment to the welfare of staff and that the expected standards are monitored.
Be Prepared
Driving licence checks seem like a minor thing to worry about, especially if driving is only a small part of the job. The truth is, these checks have more of an impact and wider use to operations and culture than you may think.
As a final thought, if you believe that a licence check isn’t important to your organisation, what other small things with unobvious impacts have been ‘left till tomorrow’?
Put the Brakes on Unsafe Practices
UK drivers have amassed a collective 10.6 million penalty points and 10,000 licence holders across England, Wales and Scotland have accumulated 12 or more penalty points. We are here to support your compliance journey and make driving for work safer for everyone.
Take Action Today
Protect Your Business and Drivers
Did you know? With 10.6 million penalty points on UK roads, your business can't afford to risk non-compliance. Our expert team helps organisations like yours implement effective driving licence checking systems that protect both your business and employees.
Don't wait, safeguard your journey by contacting us today.
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