Seven in ten (72 per cent) UK fleet managers are unaware about the actual cost of vehicle accidents on their business, according to a new survey by insurance and breakdown recovery service provider RAC.

Surprisingly, the research revealed that the smaller fleets - less than ten vehicles - had the least awareness of accident costs, with 81 per cent of managers admitting that they had no idea of the effects on their profit margins.

John Lawrence, director of service delivery at RAC Services, explained: "A vehicle down within a fleet of ten can often be more detrimental than a vehicle down within a fleet of 100 or more.

"Businesses need to understand how having a vehicle out of action affects working hours, which according to our survey is directly proportional to the amount of management information (MI) available to the fleet."

The research indicated that the best-in-class larger fleets have access to MI through outsourcing contracts with accident management specialists, meaning that they were fully aware of the effects of downed vehicles.

The RAC recently opened a new centre for servicing and repairing of cars in Norwich. Other than competitively priced servicing and maintenance work, customers will also be able to book their MOTs through the new centre.

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