Get yourself properly covered

One of the biggest banes of my life is insurance. It's one of those things that you can't live without, be it for your house, pet or, indeed, car.

In fact, it is illegal to even so much as think about driving without insurance. And quite right too. Let's face it, in today's litigious society no right-minded individual would want to drive without insurance.

Yet, according to the latest statistics, driving without insurance is on the up ... and it's costing over 500m [pounds sterling] a year--the equivalent of an extra 30 [pounds sterling] a year on your premium.

It's not surprising then that the majority of tax (and insurance) payers in the land want a custodial sentence applied to offenders. This would have a two-fold effect. Firstly it would reduce the number of drivers on the roads who have the potential to injure others and cause damage without the security of insurance.

And secondly, if there were enough offenders caught and put behind bars, there would be a lot less traffic on the roads!

Seriously though, driving without the correct insurance is a crime and for the fleet manager this could be even more serious as he or she is responsible for the actions of their drivers while on company business.

If your driver has an accident and is not insured properly you could be facing a heavy penalty or even imprisonment under health and safety and corporate manslaughter laws.

You may think you are covered but are you sure? What about those drivers who are now using their own vehicles on company business? Have you checked that they are properly covered under their policies?

It's little matters like these that have caught many managers out in the past.

Don't let it happen to you!

COPYRIGHT 2004 DMG World Media Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group