Businesses owners with a fleet have the added responsibility of making sure their drivers stay safe while on the road. Not only does this protect your employees, but it can also save you a lot of money. When you hear about an accident happening while on the road, it might indicate that no one is at fault. However, many crashes can be traced back to driver behavior. There are a few ways you can reduce the chances of an accident, and they often begin with monitoring driver behavior.
Using Technology to Manage the Fleet
Technology is ideal for helping you understand your drivers’ behavior while on the road. And you can use tech to prevent common accident causes. It is useful for monitoring driver behavior, especially if you tie it into a risk management platform. Fleet management often integrates the use of real-time incident detection and preventative in-cab coaching. AI dash cams can protect drivers while lowering costs. You can utilize telematics not only for trailer tracking but also to monitor other behaviors, such as braking, speeding, and phone usage within the cab.
Defining Driver Responsibilities
It’s a good idea to create a policy that indicates your expectations from drivers. This will encourage them to be on their best behavior at all times. The policy should also address things that can lead to preventable accidents. You will have to decide how much room for mistakes there will be. Outline consequences so drivers know what might happen if they cause a preventable accident. They may need to complete training, pay a fine, or even lose their job.
Offering Actionable Steps
The same way that planning and saving money can change your life, planning for safety can save your fleet. You might not be able to stop every crash, but if you make some changes along the way, you can significantly impact things for the better. The body can only take a certain amount of energy during an accident, which means the faster the vehicle is traveling during an accident, the more likely injury or even death can occur.
Monitor how quickly your drivers are traveling and make sure you have outlined clear steps for enforcing your policy. For example, you might discourage too many left turns, as it is harder to make them while driving a larger vehicle. Or you might let drivers know they can only use devices that are hands-free. Some organizations may even discourage backing up too much, as there is less visibility when doing this. Install safety features, such as sensors, which can alert drivers to potentially dangerous situations.
Tracking Trends
Some drivers engage in riskier behavior than others. That’s why it’s a good idea to do a risk assessment every now and then to figure out who your safest and riskiest drivers are. You can import data from their licenses and previous history to give you a better outline. You can then figure out which drivers may need in-depth training to reduce their risky behavior. You should also look at any collisions that might be happening and offer training based on this. Past trends can help you tailor the training to meet your organization’s needs.