The warning comes from AA DriveTech after an AA/Populus survey showed that, of 6,973 participants who drive for work and have a work mobile phone, nearly one in five (19%) do not agree their employer actively encourages safe and legal use of mobile phones while driving for work or commuting by car. 

Other key findings showed that:

• 2% said they have been explicitly told they are expected to return emails, texts and calls when they are driving for work or commuting.
• More than one in twenty (7%) feel under pressure to answer their hand-held work mobile when driving for work or commuting.
• Around one in six (15%) feel under pressure to answer their hands-free work mobile when driving for work or commuting.
• 4% have been criticised by their manager or colleagues for not responding to emails, texts or calls when driving for work or commuting.

Simon Stammers, AA DriveTech Fleet director, said: ‘We understand that people are often under considerable pressure to be available to their work at all times.

‘But, driving is the most dangerous task the majority of employees undertake while at work, so feeling that you have to respond to calls, texts and emails when you are driving is an unnecessary risk. It is especially worrying that some people say they have been explicitly told they should respond to calls, texts and emails when they are driving.

‘Employers have a statutory duty of care and, besides the risk to their employees, they are putting themselves at risk of liability and criminal charges in the event of a crash if the company’s actions, or lack of them, is deemed to have contributed to the incident.’