A van being inspected at a VOSA/Police enforcement checkpoint.

More than 80% of van operators running individual van or small fleets are unaware that the UK’s corporate manslaughter laws could land them in jail if one of their vans was involved in was involved in a serious collision resulting in a death or serious injury.

This surprising statistic was the outcome of research by leading van news website VansA2Z.com at the 2015 CV Show in April.

The risk of employers being prosecuted under corporate manslaughter legislation is particularly high if the van they are responsible for is found to be defective.

Unfortunately, the chances of that happening appear to be quite high in the UK.

Government data, supplied by the Vehicle and Operator Standards Agency (VOSA), shows that at least 50 per cent of vans fail their first MoT roadworthiness test, with many older vans often exhibiting even more serious faults, such as structural corrosion. The vast majority of MoT failures relate to vehicle lighting, brakes and steering components, all of which could contribute to a major road traffic accident.

VansA2Z.com Managing Director, Kevin Gregory, said:

“Illegal, badly maintained vans are a peril to other road users, and many owners are not only unaware of the faults on some of their fleet vehicles, but also of their personal liability if something does go horribly wrong.”

Statistically, around 300,000 vans a year are sold in the UK, with the number rising to 320,000 in 2014 and projected to be even more in 2015.

That means, on average, at least 150,000 vans a year fail their first MoT, some with potentially deadly faults that could put drivers and road users at risk of injury, and their owners at risk of a jail sentence.”

That’s a depressing statistic, which suggests to me that a sizeable proportion of van operators and drivers do not carry out even the most basic checks — such as lights and tyres — on their vehicles. It also suggests many operators skimp on regular servicing and maintenance.