ADLV Predicts Broader Use of Electronic Driver Checks in 2016 As Fleets Embrace Best-Practice and Road Safety

The ADLV (Association for Driving Licence Verification) www.adlv.co.uk is forecasting that best practice and road safety objectives will drive a greater fleet focus on the volume, frequency and type of electronic driver checks in 2016. Amongst the trends that the ADLV forecasts are:

Greater Frequency Of Checking:

In keeping with its recent marketing campaign, encouraging Fleet Managers to move to quarterly checks from annual ones, the ADLV is expecting that the average frequency of online checks will increase significantly. The figures are particularly important given the recent statistics highlighted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). These show that 7,621 people are still driving with 12 points or more on their licence. A further 36,000 motorists are on the brink of losing their driving licence. Whilst these drivers have reached the threshold to receive a ban, they are still driving, endangering other road users.

The ADLV believes that as most fleets move to biannual or quarterly checking, motivated by the general trend towards lower cost per check, the risk of fleet drivers carrying undeclared endorsements will be dramatically reduced. This policy has already received widespread acclaim from many of the UK’s largest fleets and the ADLV believes that this momentum will continue to gain pace across the course of the coming year. From a current base of 1.4 checks per driver per annum, the ADLV believes that the figure is likely to exceed to 1.7 checks per driver per annum in 2016.

Increased Volume of Checks:

Partly as a result of the increased frequency and partly as a result of the abolition of the paper license counterpart last July, there will be an overall increase in the annual volume of electronic checks in the coming year. The number of checks through the ADLV membership has been rising steadily over the course of this year it is expected that the total number will now increase to over 2.5 million in 2016, a growth rate of around 25% per annum.

Wider Range of Data Available:

The breadth and type of data available to Fleet Managers will also increase as the concept of ‘Know Your Driver’ spreads as a Best Practice. This will help tackle growing issues such as Right To Work in the commercial sector where the use of illegal workers is becoming a burning issue.

Commenting on the forecasts, Richard Payne-Gill Deputy Chair of the ADLV noted; “2016 will be a tipping point for commercial electronic licence checking as Fleet Managers, HR Executives and Risk Assessors now understand the real potential of frequent electronic checking and the increasing breadth of datasets that are becoming available. This allows Fleets to set new standards of best practice on one hand whilst making a real contribution to road safety on the other.

“Probably the most significant change will be the evolution of the data itself, including an increase in the number of datasets available. This is being driven by the demands from Fleet Managers themselves who see this new approach as benefitting both fleet management best practice and road-safety. It will also add to the confidence companies have that the right people are behind the wheels of their vehicles. Indeed the days of rogue drivers slipping through the net are now well and truly numbered.”