New UK legislation to curb hand-held mobile phone use in vehicles threatens to create an expensive headache for UK fleet operators who may fall foul of the law if they don’t fit approved hands-free kits.
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Even heftier fines leave operators with little choice but to comply with the latest costly round of corporate killing legislation.
The traditional image of the rep on the road with one hand on the phone and the other on the wheel is about to be shattered by UK government lawmakers, who have announced that the use of mobile phones by drivers in moving vehicles will be prohibited after December 1, 2003.
With individual penalties for flouting the new law running at between £30 and £1000 in fines plus three points on the driver’s licence, fleet operators are turning to hands free kits to ensure that their mobile workers remain productive and in touch on the road. Government and industry bodies are in turn insisting that such installations meet strict safety and functionality guidelines and are only to be installed by qualified technicians.
In particular, the Electromagnetic Compatibility in Vehicles Directive, designed to safeguard onboard electronics from interference by mobile phone signals, has made it an offence to sell or install equipment not meeting government specifications. The MIRA industry body has urged all UK fleet operators to ensure the safe and compliant installation of hands free kits to meet the mandate of these laws.
Such advice does not come empty of threat; under recent corporate manslaughter and culpability legislation, fleet operators and employers could be held liable if their failure to install proper hands free equipment forces drivers to break the law by using their hand-held phones on the road. This legal provision arrives after recent extensions to safety and accident reporting regulations, which have greatly extended the responsibilities (and the costs) for UK fleet operators and employers with regard to ensuring the safe operation and responsible management of their vehicles.
With corporate-level charges now looming for any operator whose neglect of these provisions leads to unsafe vehicles and accidents, there is a real incentive for complying with these measures in the UK fleet market.
