Driving licence checking procedures warning

The warning, from Norwich Union Risk Services fleet specialist Steve Palmer, came after vehicle leasing company ALD Automotive revealed that a recent licence checking exercise had found that one in 70 were ineligible to drive.

The investigation, conducted for ALD by the Licence Bureau with the help of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), found that seven drivers from five different firms had been using a company vehicle without a valid licence.

Malcolm Maycock, of the Licence Bureau, said: "When we alerted the companies they were understandably and rightly shocked. As far as they were concerned in every case the employees were OK to drive."

He went on to warn that many companies paid little attention to checking the validity of the driving licences of staff.

'Cause or permit'

Norwich Union Risk Services' Steve Palmer said that the findings of the study were disappointing, but not "all that surprising".

He told us: "Although many companies do have clear policies covering the vetting of drivers, some do not carry our rigorous enough checks, while others frankly do not bother at all."

He went on to explain that companies with poor licence checking procedures risked breaking the law: "Not only is it an offence under the Road Traffic Act to drive a motor vehicle without a valid driving licence of the correct category for the vehicle, but also to cause or permit someone to do so."

Mr Palmer added that licence checks should never be carried out as an "afterthought". Research had shown that 33% of all large motor vehicle insurance claims involved drivers who had been employed for less than 12 months, regardless of age or driving experience.

It was also essential that anyone tasked with checking licences was competent, as the documentation and codes used could be complicated.

The Licence Bureau recommended that after initial checks licences should be reviewed every 12 months for staff with less than four penalty points, six monthly for those with four to seven points and quarterly on staff with eight points or more.

Situation resolved

One licence out of the 500 checked by the Licence Bureau had been revoked by the DVLA several months before the individual joined the company - without the employee being aware of what had happened.

ALD Automotive said that once the situation had been identified, involving its client Recordati UK, it was rapidly resolved.

Martin Symons, general manager of Recordati UK, said: "This was a serious issue caused by a genuine misunderstanding prior to the individual joining the company. The check revealed the problem and the individual's licence has now been renewed.

"However, the issue was only identified by the process we went through as a responsible employer and this underlines the importance of all companies checking the driving licences of employees driving company cars."