The general duty
Under health and safety law, employers must manage risks to employees and others, and that includes driving. HSE publishes guidance on managing work-related road safety.
What it usually covers
- The driver: licence, fitness, training, hours and fatigue.
- The vehicle: maintained, safe and checked.
- The journey: planning, schedules and avoiding time pressure that tempts drivers to cut corners.
Vehicle checks as evidence
A daily check, a defect system and a service schedule show that you took the vehicle part seriously. A good set of records helps if something goes wrong.
Practical steps
- Write a short driving at work policy.
- Run licence checks.
- Do daily vehicle checks and record them.
- Fix defects quickly and record the fix.
- Review incidents and near misses.
Fleets of vans and cars can use the same system. See van fleets.
General information for Great Britain, not legal advice. Rules change, so check GOV.UK and DVSA for the latest. Northern Ireland has its own rules.