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Drivers should be educated about new safety technology being fitted to company cars in order to reduce road risk, according to Arval UK.
The leasing company said it would like to see fleets act because a range of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) were made compulsory on all new models in the EU last year and, as a result, were also being made part of UK specifications.
Arval UK head of insured lease Ian Pearson said: "These safety systems have the potential to be highly effective, but drivers need to understand how to incorporate them into their daily driving.
"It's worth considering the historical lessons that can be drawn from reversing sensors. These have now been standard fitment on most fleet cars for a long time and the technology is well-proven, but even where reversing cameras are operational, drivers still back into stationary objects every day and sometimes at speed.
"In fact, it may be the case that they have become over reliant on listening for the beeps and don't use their mirrors, which shows the importance of using the device properly.
"All of this technology is not fail-safe but there to assist the driver - and that can only happen if more is done to make them aware of how to make the best of features, such as lane departure and driver fatigue warning systems. It's not about the technology in isolation, but how it interacts with the person at the steering wheel."
Pearson said that the was limited data on how effective different safety systems were relative to each other - but argued that this underlined the need for more information to be given to drivers.
He said: "The real-world success of ADAS is something that is difficult to measure. If a driver drifts out of lane on a motorway and the steering corrects them, how do you know whether a collision has been avoided?
"What is important is that all of these devices have a potential role to play and could save the lives of employees out on the road if they are taught to use them correctly.
"This education does not need to be complex. Most of it can be done through some form of e-learning that is reinforced through periodic reminders. Use of ADAS should also be incorporated into fleet manager reviews when an accident takes place."
Pearson did cite findings from Arval's Mobility Observatory research, which found that the ADAS most valued by fleet managers were collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking systems. He said this made sense as they represented the technology most likely to prevent collisions.
Pearson added that getting the most out of ADAS was not just purely a safety issue, but also important in terms of extracting the most value from their cost.
He said: "While the technology is generally standard fitment on new cars, it is being incorporated into the price, so businesses are already paying for this potential safety. Also, it increases the cost of repair when there is an accident.
"There is a strong argument that fleets are - whether consciously or not - making quite a big investment in this technology and so should work to maximise its benefit."
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