RAA wants to end traffic fines demerit loophole which allows companies to take the blame for employees’ bad driving

THE RAA wants to put an end to bosses saving their employees from losing demerit points — and their licences — via a loophole that lets the company take the blame for bad driving instead.

THE RAA has branded an increasing number of drivers who use their employer to cover for driving fines as “cheats” who are not learning from their mistakes.

The number of companies taking the blame to keep workers on the road — by paying an extra $300 fine when a company car is used to break the law — has increased from 6,942 five years ago to 14,415 last year.

“Corporate fee’’ payments allow rogue workers to stay or the road to the benefit of the worker and company, because by not being identified they cannot be deducted three demerit points and possibly banned.

The rule includes heavy vehicles, many of which are company vehicles driven by workers. Transport department figures show that around one in every four drivers of heavy vehicles caught breaking the law are able to have the company pay so they can stay on the road.

RAA Road Safety Manager Charles Mountain said companies were taking advantage of system that allowed the worker to keep their licence if they were down to their last three demerit points when the offence took place.

“If it’s the difference between someone losing their licence or getting the business to pay the extra $300 fine, then obviously some are choosing to do this which not only is a burden to the business but means the driver is not taking responsibility for their actions,” he said.

The common cheat means there were 167,754 demerit points which could not be issued to unidentified rogue drivers in the last five years, many of whom would have lost their licences.

But to benefit from the rort, cashed-up companies that can allow it to happen have only had to pay out $865,380 in 2017 to take advantage of the scheme.

In 2016 the former State Government threatened to increase the “corporate fee” fine to $3000 for each time they would not identify the driver, but this never happened.

Mr Mountain said the organisation was still seeking changes to the system: “A review of the corporate fee system is important to reduce the temptation for companies to not nominate a driver”.

The workers are being allowed to get away with some of the most dangerous behaviour on the road, with 17 caught doing more than 45km/h over the speed limit in 2017, up from 5 in 2016, and 113 caught doing between 30 and 40km/h over the limit in 2017, an increase on the 90 caught in 2016.

Mr Mountain said the basis for improving road safety was to make individuals responsible and regretful about their bad behaviour on the road, which often required a loss.

Mr Mountain said the problem was most common in companies in which the drivers relied on a licence for their work.

He said they were being allowed to “cheat the system” by “hiding behind” the company and avoiding the fine and any demerit points associated with the offence.

Mr Mountain said it was obvious that in the current age of insurance, liability and CCTV surveillance companies would know very well which employee had been driving the vehicle.

“Many businesses and companies closely monitor which staff drive their vehicles, using records like log books, partly so they can be held responsible for any fine incurred,’’ he said.

“We need all companies to contribute to road safety by keeping accurate records of who is driving their company vehicles at any time and encourage their drivers abide by the road rules when behind the wheel of these vehicles.

“This way drivers of company cars who break the road rules would face demerit points and have to change their driving behaviour.’’