Mobile driving ban to get your boss in trouble?

Nearly one in four UK managers could be liable for prosecution if their employees use a mobile phone for work-related calls while driving.

Government research revealed 22 per cent of businesses still don't have a policy in place regarding in-car mobile use for business.

Under Department of Transport guidelines, employers are liable if they require workers to use a handheld phone while driving or if they fail to forbid employees to use such phones on company business.

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Nearly one-third (32 per cent) of employers are not aware of harsher penalties for using a mobile phone while driving, which came into play earlier this week, according to the online YouGov survey of 256 UK employers.

More than four-fifths (81 per cent) of UK employers give all or some of their workers a mobile phone but only 36 per cent of companies have banned work-related in-car calls and 40 per cent provide employees with a handsfree kit for their work mobiles, according to the research.

And more than a third (38 per cent) of managers said they would not feel responsible if one of their employees had an accident taking a work-related call while driving.