MOTORISTS driving as part of their job are more likely to speed and "tailgate", says road safety charity Brake.

The campaigning group believes many "at-work drivers" are feeling so pressurised to get somewhere fast that they are putting lives at risk.

Now it is calling for a range of measures, including increasing the penalty for speeding to a £1,000 fine and six points on a licence. In a survey of more than 4,500 people, Brake found 61 pr cent of motorists driving as part of their work admitted failing to leave a two-second gap between them and the vehicle in front.

This compared with 40 per cent of other drivers.

The research, which was undertaken with the breakdown firm Green Flag, also showed 74 per cent of at-work drivers admitted speeding at 80mph or more on motorways, compared with half of other drivers (49 per cent).

More than three-quarters of at-work drivers (77 per cent) admitted driving at 35mph in a 30mph limit, compared with six in 10 other drivers (62 per cent).

According to Brake, tailgating was a contributory factor in at least 54 deaths in 2006. The charity wants the Department for Transport to publish its research into satellite-controlled vehicle speed limiters.

The organisation said firms which pressurise employees into speeding should be penalised for breaching their duty of care or even, in some circumstances, prosecuted under new corporate manslaughter legislation.

12:42pm Friday 28th March 2008

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