Behind every corporate fleet are numerous adequate safety precautions and well-planned efficient strategies.
Developing a safety strategy, pre-emptive calculations and good planning can take years. Here are some things to direct your energy at when developing a safety strategy for your fleet.
Well-trained drivrs
The constant educational process for drivers is a must. It can include many areas such as:
- Live training in the vehicle
- Online video tutorials
- Training with the managers
The focus on the training of drivers and the encouragement of fleet managers to pay special attention to safety is the short part of the solution.
Another key element is computer based training. They can be reduced to the most commonly occurring accidents in the corporate fleet and the skills needed to handle them.
Persistance is key
Considering how many things are important to safety, it is vital that safety rules be communicated regularly within the company.
It is important for people to start taking safety rules seriously.
Besides persistance, there also has to be an evolutionary effect. That which is now considered for safe, can be considered dangerous in the future. Which is why it’s vital that safety rules be reviewed and updated when necessary.
The use of phones while driving wasn’t considered dangerous in the past, but now all kinds of mobile devices create accidents and put the driver in serious risk all the time.
To be consistent doesn’t mean just training but also checking the data from the movement of the vehicles.
Careful selection of new drivers
Correct preparation of the new employee hiring process is of significant important, because this can build the foundations of the rules the drivers will have to work with. There is no doubt that the hiring of capable drivers is the essence to success.
A structured selection process is necessary when hiring staff, if you don’t want to be doomed from the very beginning. The training of new employees who have already developed bad driving habits can be a very difficult provess. This significantly increases the important of having information about thteir driving style before hiring them.
Even after having hired the right people for your team, it is of vital importance to get them to embrace company policies.
Training new drivers should be a part of the personal training sessions of every new employee. Together with the training, the vehicles of every new employee needs to be equipped with telematics devices (GPS tracking devices), which can show the results of driving.
Immediate action when a risk driver is identified
The moment you realise a driver poses a risk to your autopark, measured need to be taken immediately and additional training has to be provided. For example, drivers with high-risk behaviour can be suspended from driving until they understand the implications of their actions. Only then can they receive permission to drive for the company again.
Regardless of the type of rule being disobeyed, when a driver lands in the high-risk category, his vehicle can have devices isntalled that provide information about his driving style.
The role of technology
A good solution for safe driving is ‘Mobil EYE’ – the system for active safety and monitoring of the driver’s driving style. Mobil EYE warns the driver when a crash with the vehicle in front is imminent, when the lane is left, in cases of dangerously short distance between vehicle. It monitors and warns the driver if they are in close proximity to a pedestrian or cyclist. Using Mobil EYE together with Viasat Technology’s GPS tracking system allows for complete accountability of a driver’s driving style.
The purpose is not to punish the driver. In this way we are trying to improve and develop his driving skills, change his behaviour on the road and make him a better driver.
When a driver racks up several fines or accidents, it is wise to put him in the dangerous drivers list. These drivers will partake in correctional activities for their own benefit. The discussion which you can lead with them can go along the lines of “You crossed a line, beyond which we have to intervene” or “If you’re not worried about your own safety, it’s time for the company to help you change some of your habits”.
Technology plays a key role in safety procedures. Technology can be compared to seatbelts and airbags – it helps people protect people from their own mistakes.
Implementing such technology in your vehicles has now become as much of a necessity as seatbelts and airbags.
Monthly report on every driver
Using MobilEYE in combination with GPS tracking devices presents a huge amount of statistics about accidents, which can be used for comparative analysis of the performance of each vehicle. A monthly report and a review of drivers’ profiles, the types of accidents and insurance costs they’ve accumulated canprovide information as to where the management should direct its attention in order to reduce the number of accidents.