Driving for business
As a business driver, you may cover a very high mileage. While this gives you a lot of driving experience, it also puts you at more risk than many other drivers so you need to be aware of how you can stay safe on the road.
Safety on the road
Your employer has a responsibility to keep you safe. They must not:
- ask you to use a mobile phone while you’re driving
- put pressure on you to drive too fast in order to meet deadlines
- require you to drive for too long or too far, which could lead to you driving when you’re too tired to do so safely.
If you feel that your employer is putting you at risk, it’s your responsibility to speak to them about it: do not ignore the problem.
Mobile phones
One of the biggest tempations for business drivers is to use their mobile phone to keep in touch with the office, make appointments or speak to customers.
Using a handheld mobile phone while you’re driving is against the law. If you need to make or answer a call, stop and park safely first.
You can learn more about this topic by reading the following blogs:
A Guide to the Mobile Phone Rules
Why distracted driving affects your safety
Smarter driving
An important part of driving for business involves learning to drive smarter. That means using different techniques to reduce the cost and stress of your journey:
- Before you begin your journey, plan your route
- When you start your car, drive off straight away – leaving it to ‘warm up’ wastes fuel and is not necessary
- If you’re stationary for more than a couple of minutes, turn the engine off
- Drive smoothly and watch the cars ahead so you avoid sharp acceleration and braking
- Do not coast downhill or when you’re braking. Ease off the accelerator gently and use the engine to brake the car
- Always drive in the right gear for the speed and road conditions
- Get rid of any extra weight such as roof racks or clutter in the boot
- Do not race: it’s best to take time and arrive safely rather than drive too fast and take risks.
You can find more useful tips on driving smarter in The Official DVSA Guide to Better Driving.
The Official DVSA Guide to Better Driving
Top tips for fuel-efficient driving
Breakdowns and incidents
Keeping your vehicle running efficiently will help keep you on the road and avoid breakdowns and delays. Make sure you check your vehicle each day before you start your journey.
If your vehicle breaks down, it’s important you know what to do to keep you and other road users safe. See our advice on what to do if your vehicle breaks down.
If you have been involved in an incident or your vehicle has, you'll need to know what to do, what to say and who to contact.
