Business drivers have proven costly to employers over the past year, with almost half having a car accident and a sixth having committed a driving offence.

Lex Autolease found, of the 45% of staff involved in accidents last year, 70% were at fault and the average repair bill was £860.

And, of the driving offences recorded, 40% were for speeding tickets and a fifth involved mobile phone incidents.

Steve Osborne, head of fleet management at Lex Autolease, said: "Speeding offences are notoriously difficult to tackle, but mobile phone policies are a must for all businesses and they must ensure these are effectively communicated to drivers.

"There is always room for improvement and firms have a duty of care to ensure they communicate and remind drivers of their responsibilities while travelling on company business. It is a financial and safety priority."

But, according to the survey of 21,000 fleet vehicles by the fleet provider, the majority of these are just one-off lawbreakers with only one in 20 incurring repeat offences.