Should speed-limiters be fitted to company cars?

In its latest report, entitled 'Beyond 2010', the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) recommended that "Intelligent Speed Adaptation" be introduced into all fleet cars as a way of combating the pressure felt by company drivers to speed.

PACTS claimed that research had found high levels of "non compliance" with road traffic law among employees who frequently drove for work purposes - particularly speeding by men.

"Company car drivers and drivers with high mileage are not only more likely to have a speeding conviction, they are also more likely to be involved in crashes than other drivers," said the report.

It added that research had "consistently" found that company car drivers and high-mileage drivers who drove for work were 50% more likely to be involved in injury accidents than other drivers, even after differences in exposure due to miles driven had been taken into account.

Culture change

A number of other studies were also highlighted in the report, which PACTS claimed showed workers often felt pressured into speeding.

It said a management culture existed which often had an "alarming emphasis on quickness" when it came to client visits and other work-related journeys.

Employers also often failed to treat "5am starts and 11pm arrivals at home" as work hours. This overall culture needed to change, according to the report, both through more intensive Government campaigns and a "regulatory approach".

"However, in the more immediate future, reducing the ability of workers to speed, and thus reducing the pressure to speed, can be beneficial," said the PACTS report. "Installing speed limiters in company vehicles is one option that begins to mitigate these known risks."

Fleets unimpressed

The report later said that the only barrier to introducing Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology was the necessary national infrastructure - in particular a national digital speed limit map.

To be effective, ISA requires that the vehicle is accurately located and provided with information about the speed limit on the road - achieved through a combination of a Global Positioning System and a digital road map. It also requires a link to the vehicle to control acceleration, braking etc - working in a way that is similar to modern adaptive cruise control.

The PACTS report claimed there were "no regulatory impediments to its immediate introduction" and that trials of various systems had shown a reduction in fatal accidents of between 18% and 59%.

The Association of Car Fleet Operators was unimpressed by the PACTS recommendation. Its chairman, Julie Jenner, told Fleet News: "This whole issue of speed is not going to be fixed by fitting speed limiters to all company cars.

“While I accept that company-owned vehicles use the roads more and are therefore more likely to be involved in accidents, it is the concept of inappropriate speed that is the cause. Most fleet drivers already feel they are a cash cow for the Government – to hit them with further legislation is an easy option."