Employers must address the driving skills of employers using company cars, the government has announced.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) is aiming to reduce road deaths by urging the employer to take responsibility over the training and competence of staff using vehicles during their working day.

Pacts is also lobbying for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and greater use of road surveillance cameras.

Richard Schooling, commercial director of car scheme provider Alphabet, commented: “The research we undertook unearthed some profoundly disturbing evidence that UK companies are unwittingly storing up trouble for the future. Too few employers are keeping an eye on fleet issues or work-related road safety at board level.

“Too many are following the trend towards providing fewer company cars without the appropriate level of control. A corporate manslaughter law is waiting in the wings yet companies are weakening their control over business driving.”