Research highlights safety risk of grey fleet usage across Europe

Research from Enterprise Rent-A-Car has highlighted that unmanaged business travel in grey fleet is a challenge for employers across much of Europe.
 
Across the UK, France and Germany, 62% of grey fleet drivers don’t regularly conduct essential basic maintenance checks to ensure their cars are safe and legal to drive. Nearly half (48%) of those that currently have a warning light showing on their dashboard do not plan to have it checked.
 
It is both a duty of care risk and an operational concern, as 32% of UK drivers and 28% of those in France and Germany admit that they’ve actually missed or were late to a business meeting because they were sorting out a vehicle repair.
 
This is potentially a major challenge for businesses that operate in more than one territory, and especially the growing number of multinational organisations where employees may now work from home in another country, at least on a temporary basis.
 
Companies in more than one market may also need to ensure their travel policies reflect country-specific risks. For example, more than half of UK grey fleet drivers (53%) admit that they don’t regularly conduct any basic vehicle maintenance checks themselves, but this rises to an even worse 61% of French business drivers and two-thirds (68%) of German drivers.
 
The research compared the behaviours of 2,466 employees in the UK, France and Germany, all of whom use their own personal car for business trips and claim mileage/kilometre reimbursement. It showed that in these three major European markets, businesses could be exposed to higher emissions and duty of care risks.
 
In addition, independent studies have shown that the average age of a grey fleet vehicle in the UK is 8.6 years, compared to 9.8 in Germany and 10.6 in France, suggesting the risks are even more pronounced in Europe as grey fleet cars there tend to be older.
 
The study revealed that the UK’s grey fleet drivers largely take better care of their vehicles than their counterparts in France or Germany – but significant health and safety risks remain in all three countries.
 
Only 7% of UK business drivers who use their own cars for work admit that their vehicle is only ever checked when it goes in for its annual MOT/service – but this rises to a deeply concerning one in five German motorists (19%) and 21% of those in France.
 
When it comes to carrying out many basic regular vehicle maintenance checks, either themselves or by others, at least a quarter of UK drivers have never done so – and they are still more conscientious than many of their European counterparts:
 
The research further revealed that UK grey fleet drivers are also the most likely to have a regularly checked and roadworthy spare tyre in their car, but still around half (49%) do not, compared to 53% in France and 60% in Germany.
 
European businesses having problems managing mileage/kilometre reimbursement, or deciding if this is the best option for them, do have alternatives. Enterprise has created an eBook that outlines some of the most effective alternative mobility methods, available now for download.