Half Of All Company Cars May Not Be Road Worthy

More than half of all company vehicles may be officially considered un-roadworthy due to faults serious enough to sink an MOT says recent research by the RAC.

More than 3,000 vehicles were checked over a four month period throughout the survey, with 53 per cent failing basic tyre, coolant, oil and screen wash tests - despite an average age of just 2.5 years. In one fleet, 65 per cent of vehicles were being driven with inadequate maintenance.

Another fleet with 140 cars had one or more faults on 90 percent of its vehicles. This included 11 illegal faults, eight dangerous faults and 31 MOT failures. Faulty brakes and steering constituted 8% and 6% respectively of the total.

"I believe these figures are typical of most fleets, as the majority have no formal vehicle inspection programme in place and so these potentially hazardous faults go unnoticed," commented a representative of the RAC.

"Fleet managers should find these results alarming, as their own vehicles could be at risk of incurring high costs and scrutiny from the Health and Safety Executive.”

"In addition, the Government is now close to introducing an offence of corporate manslaughter. Under this legislation, it will be easier to prosecute companies where death has been caused by gross breaches of duty of care by its senior managers," he added.

Driving with a low oil level could lead to a bill of at least £2,000 to replace an engine, while driving with under-inflated or worn tyres is illegal and affects braking distances – a potentially lethal situation. The vehicle problems identified by RAC’s inspection service apply equally to firms operating company cars, pool cars and driver-owned vehicles. The latter are of particular concern, as the onus is completely on the driver to carry out regular maintenance and ensure the car is serviced.

This shows that companies have a responsibility to ensure checks are carried out regularly on company vehicles.

If you would like to know more about driving why not ask AnswerBank Motoring.