Company car managers are being warned to pay close attention to the details of the smoking ban already in place in Wales, and due to be rolled-out in Northern Ireland by the end of the month and across England in July – or they could face a hefty fine.
Leasing and fuel card giant Arval is alerting fleet managers to details within the new law that could land businesses with a £2500 fine.
Mike Waters, head of market analysis for Arval and BusinessCar blogger, said: “The devil is in the detail of the new regulations. It will not be enough for companies to just hand out ‘No Smoking’ stickers to drivers and then forget about it. Companies need to educate their drivers as to what is expected from them and then insure they comply with the regulations on an ongoing basis.”
Waters added that the problem for fleets is in a number of grey areas existing in the new regulations, which could lead to drivers breaking the law.
“One option is for customers to apply a firm no-smoking policy to all vehicles, covering all business vehicle use, as a total ban will remove any doubt about compliance. By limiting the options available, fleets can simplify what, for some will be an awkward piece of legislation.”