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The proportion of fleet drivers incurring fines and penalties for minor motoring offences was up by 21% during the first half of 2019 compared with the same period last year.
That's according to leasing company Lex Autolease, which analysed data from its fleet of just under 362,000 company vehicles operating in the UK.
It found that the cost of the accumulated fines and penalties was £10.6 million - an increase of 41% on last year's value.
According to Lex, while the percentage of drivers caught by bus lane cameras was down by 19% year-on-year, the proportion being fined for illegal junction-box stops, red-route driving and other similar infringements increased by 154% over the same period.
Lex also found that as in previous years, company car drivers were more likely to be fined in private car parks than public ones, with 78% of fines occurring in the former, totalling more than £3 million, compared with £855,000 in the latter.
Lex Autolease head of motor operations, customer and business design Guy Mason said that the increase in fines suggested fleets should invest in driver education to help minimise avoidable costs.
He said: "Running a company vehicle fleet is an effective way for businesses to reduce risk and save money, but this can be hampered by drivers who incur easily-avoidable fines and penalties on the road.
"They might seem like small mistakes at the time, but the costs associated with minor parking and traffic offences add up for employers - especially those with large fleets.
"Analysis of our data has revealed an opportunity for businesses to further reduce the amount they spend on staff travel by taking proactive steps to minimise the fines incurred by employees on the roads. Investing in driver education will help employees modify their behaviour and avoid minor penalties.
"As fleets start transitioning towards alternative fuels, the importance of driver training is only set to grow, so that the whole life cost savings achieved by using low or zero emission vehicles are not compromised by the costs of fines and penalties."
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