MAC chief urges UK Government to put emphasis on driver training as new research suggests better driver education could cut company car accidents by over 70%

More than seventy per cent of company car accidents could be prevented if drivers were given specific training according to one of the UK’s leading driver training companies.

In depth interviews with 100 company car drivers who had been involved in an accident reveal that 71 admitted that their own driving was a contributory factor, and that there was more they could have done to avoid a crash.

The figures compiled by MAC Driver Training, also suggest that better training could help avoid up to 70,000 traffic accidents each year and save UK companies over £100 million.

MAC Driver Training is calling for the removal of VAT on driver training to make it more affordable, and for the Government to introduce a P11D tax allowance for those who complete a driver training course.

Tom Jones, general manager at MAC Driver Training and former police trainer with over twenty years driver training experience, believes post test assessments and training would substantially cut accidents on UK roads. “A driver will invariably say there was nothing they could have done to prevent an accident," he says. "But this is just not true. In our experience seven out of ten fleet drivers admit there was something more they could have done to prevent an accident. We need to teach drivers better observation skills and teach them to drive to the conditions of the road. At present this isn’t happening.”



In the UK, company car drivers are responsible for one third of all accidents, despite the fact that they make up only 10% of road users. “There are many facts and figures available about road safety but one figure we cannot change or escape from is that 3,443 people were killed on our roads during 2001, 1% more than in 2000,” says Jones.

“Whatever happened to the road safety officer’s three Es: education, engineering and enforcement? Have we abandoned driver education in favour of enforcement? The Government seems to have all its eggs in one speed camera basket, hoping the ‘speed kills’ campaign will achieve a targeted 40% reduction in road casualties by 2010.”

ends

Editor's note:
MAC Driver Training General manager and spokesman (also fluent in Welsh) is available for interview by calling Energy PR.

For further information or photos contact:

Peter Walker
Energy PR
+44(0)1993 823011
peter@energypr.co.uk
www.energypr.co.uk




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