How To Prevent Your Company From Being Blamed For Drivers Causing An Accident

If you would like to avoid long lasting and expensive court cases and a damage to your company’s reputation, it is important that you put some measures in place. If you run a taxi or delivery firm, chances are that you employ drivers who are out and about on the roads every day. It is your responsibility as an employer to ensure that they are properly trained, ready for work when they turn up for the job, and don’t endanger the public. Find out what you can do to protect your reputation and empower your drivers.

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Advanced Driving Courses

If your employees derive for work, you will have to make sure that they are prepared for the challenges. They might have limited experience and every person is different behind the wheel. If you give them advanced driving training and assessments, they can become better and more confident drivers, plan their routes better, and you can avoid unnecessary accidents. It is a win-win situation.

Check Their Records

It is your responsibility as an employer to check the driving records of your employees. Just because they didn’t cause any accidents when driving one of your fleet vehicles, they might have picked up some penalties and tickets on their own license. Inspections are recommended every couple of months, so you can spot dangerous drivers and intervene before your company gets blamed.

Get Insurance

You must also insure your fleet to make sure all cases against you or your staff can be settled as quickly as possible. You should get insurance on the cars as well as the drivers, and include a legal protection just in case something goes wrong and somebody tries to blame your company for a personal injury. If you would like to cover all eventualities, you can contact a car accident attorney to get some professional advice.  

Involve Your Legal Team

It is also crucial that you understand your liabilities and put protective measures in place. If you don’t have a legal team, you can get in touch with an independent advisor who will tell you what type of insurance and policies you need, and what sections of the labor law apply to your business.

Create Detailed Policies

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It is not enough to say that you will check the black box of all your fleet vehicles regularly in your employment policies. Instead, you will need to specify your responsibility and your drivers’. It might be a good idea to include spot checks for alcohol or substance abuse, and specify the working and rest periods your drivers need to stay alert and ready to drive your fleet vehicles. Describe the safety measures you have in place and install a dash cam for every car or van to gather proof in case there is an accident.

There are plenty of risks associated with having a fleet and employing drivers in your company. Take them seriously, or your reputation will suffer. Complete the background checks, and monitor your drivers regularly.