Workers Risk Driving Uninsured as Employers Encourage Use of Their Own Car for Business Use

Employers are putting their workers at risk of driving without insurance by encouraging them to use their cars for work but not warning them of the need for business use cover on their car insurance.

According to new research by insurance comparison site Gocompare.com, 72% of UK workers have used their own car for business use in the last year but 35% of UK workers do not have business use cover on their car insurance. Furthermore, only 38% of workers say their employer has talked to them about the need for business use cover on their car insurance when using their own car on company business. Each month workers drive on average 251 business miles or 3,012 miles a year - the equivalent of driving from London to Helsinki and back again.

Typically, private car policies provide cover for motorists driving to work or the station car park, but drivers will need to extend their insurance to include business use if they drive to company sites other than their usual place of work. If their car is not insured for business mileage their insurer may refuse to pick-up the bill for any claims incurred while they were at work.

Gocompare.com’s survey revealed that the top five business journeys made in a private car, which would not be covered by a typical private car insurance policy, were:

• Travelling to a training course (41 per cent)
• Going to the bank (41 per cent)
• Driving to the Post Office (32 per cent)
• To drive to another office (31 per cent)
• Attending company away days (22 per cent)

The survey also revealed that over five per cent of workers currently using their own car for business use once had a company car but it was either withdrawn or they decided to give it up.

Lee Griffin, business development director of Gocompare.com said, "More flexible working habits and multi-location workplaces mean that many workers now use their own vehicles for informal or ad-hoc company business. However, companies shouldn’t assume that workers with private car insurance are covered for driving their vehicle while at work. Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that, irrespective of its owner, vehicles used on company business are safe to use - this includes being fully insured for business usage1.

"Extending your motor insurance cover to include business use can be relatively inexpensive, and some insurers do not even charge an additional fee for this cover. If workers use their own cars while on company business, no matter how infrequently, we would urge them to check their policy to make sure they are properly insured. And employers should talk to workers about the necessity of having the correct level of cover before they undertake any business journeys in a private car."

For further information please contact: Lynsey Walden or Anders Nilsson at Gocompare.com on 01633 654 055 / 01633 657 599
Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845

Notes to Editors:

1 http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg382.pdf

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations of 1992 – updated 1999 - requires the company to carry out assessments regarding health and safety of all employees whilst at work and for the safety of others that may be affected by the employees work activities.

Driving any vehicle on company business, regardless of ownership, is subject to the legislation and is regarded as a bona-fide place of work for the duration of any journey undertaken for company business. – source: RAC Duty of Care

Research commissioned by Gocompare.com. Carried out with 1,500 UK adults in October 2009 by Loudhouse Research.

Gocompare.com launched in November 2006. It was founded by Hayley Parsons, who has worked her entire career in the insurance broking and aggregator markets, and was the first comparison sites to focus on displaying product features rather than just listing prices. It was this philosophy that led to Gocompare.com becoming the first price comparison site to be invited to join the British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba) in May 2008 and helped force older comparison sites to change their ‘quick quote’ ways and stop using assumptions to calculate estimated figures.

Today, Gocompare.com provides one of the most comprehensive online car insurance comparison services in the UK as well as comparing home, motorbike, van, pet insurance and breakdown cover.

Gocompare.com is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Press Contact:
Anders Nilsson
Gocompare.com
Imperial Courtyard
Newport, Gwent NP10 8UL
01633 657 599
anders@gocompare.com
http://www.gocompare.com