Driving Hands Free Legislation

On the 27th February 2007 The Road Safety Act 2006 came into force in the UK. If you are caught holding a mobile phone whilst driving you will be issued with a minimum £60 fine and 3 penalty points. As an employer you can be prosecuted if you instruct an employee to drive, make or receive calls without an appropriate hands free device. Drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches can incur a maximum fine of £2,500 if dealt with by the courts.

Corporate Manslaughter Act 2008

Corporate manslaughter is a crime committed by a company in relation to a work-related death.

On 6th April 2008 the Corporate Manslaughter Act came into force and has now been extended to permitting an employee to drive and communicate without using an appropriate hands free device. This would see the company liable under this act.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act will affect all companies regardless of size. The new law will mean that any organization can be prosecuted where a safety failure is the cause of work-related deaths. (Under the new act it no longer needs to be the sole cause of death). Such cases will not be limited to fatal accidents in fixed workplaces, but will include cases of death on the road. Employers can no longer pass all responsibility and blame for a fatal crash onto the driver.