The organisation said that online assessment and on road training have the potential to make a major contribution to the safety and cost effectiveness of UK PLC. It added that the best companies recognise the impact of safe driving on profits but more incentives are needed to encourage best practice.

The IAM is urging the Government to make sure that companies applying for public sector contracts have road-risk policies in place. IAM research shows that only 30% of commercial drivers have ever been offered driver training yet commercial drivers account for a third of all crashes.

It added that if at-work drivers continue to be so heavily involved in crashes, extending Health and Safety regulations to the driving seat must be considered.

The IAM’s manifesto also calls for:

• High-speed rural roads to be part of the driving test as well as for road safety to be part of the national curriculum.
• Protecting vulnerable roads users, including cyclists
• Greater priority for motorcyclists in transport policy
• A call for a national road safety forum
• Targeted retraining for offenders
• Continuous learning for motorists; and
• An informed debate on keeping older drivers mobile.

The full IAM manifesto can be found online at http://iam.org.uk/images/policy/manifesto/iam-manifesto.pdf