Three-Pronged Approach
Red, green and blue. You recognize the three primary colors. You’ve heard friends sing about the three French hens. And, no doubt, you’ve noticed a handsome gentlemen dressed in a three-piece suit. Now that you’re thinking about things that come in threes, let’s add this to the list: our upcoming Safe Fleet webinar series.
Jetco Delivery’s Brian Fielkow, a recipient of this year’s National Safety Council “CEO’s Who Get It” recognition, and members of the Our Driving Concern Texas Employer Traffic Safety Program are excited to present this unique, free online training opportunity.
Join us to gain a better understanding of how to ensure safe outcomes and manage risk. While this series is geared for those who operate fleets of cars, trucks and vans, ideas will be introduced to benefit all safety leaders working to improve transportation safety initiatives.
Click on the links below to register:
Tuesday, April 12 (10-11:15 a.m.): The Foundation. To get things started, Fielkow will discuss:
- How to make safety procedures understandable and create accountability for the process
- Better ways to train fleet drivers
- Best practices for helping employees eliminate distracted driving
- What is interfering with prioritizing safety in your company and how to address it
Tuesday, June 14 (10-11:15): Turning Technology into Results. The focus here will be on providing answers to this question: How do we turn data into action? Fielkow will be joined by Hayden Cardiff, founder and chief innovation officer at Idelic, a safety operations software provider.
Tuesday, Aug. 9 (10-11:15 a.m.): When ‘It’ Hits the Fan – Best Practices for Managing Incidents. Learn why employers must manage claims and not simply delegate them to their insurance agents. Get tips to build a strong culture of prevention.
Each of the sessions promises to be packed with value. So, it seems, good things do come in threes.
Speed Toward Change
Some employers use in-vehicle monitoring systems to gather data on the behind-the-wheel behaviors of their fleet drivers. The data is used in coaching situations. Some also use technology to regulate the speed of fleet vehicles. But what about speed as it relates to safe driving and keeping the rest of your workforce safe?
Do you talk about the times when even driving at the posted limit might be too fast – during inclement weather, road construction or when vision is obstructed (sun glare, darkness)? Do you remember the three E’s of traffic safety: engineering, education and enforcement? Do you talk about the importance of planning ahead to leave extra time for travel?
A good way to reduce claims and connect with your employees is to provide continuing education about risks involved with speeding.
Part of motivating drivers to change their behavior can be sharing how you changed your own behavior to become a safer driver. For example, maybe you thought you would save time on a 100-mile trip if you traveled at 70 mph, instead of the posted limit of 65 mph. After looking into it, you learned a small increase in speed might save you 5 minutes. You also learned that even a small increase in speed dramatically raises the risk of significant injury in a crash, and how speed is a contributing factor in pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
So, what can you do to help your colleagues better understand how their choices and driving behaviors can lead to better outcomes?
Demonstrate: Here is a tool to calculate the impact of force in a crash.
Share some reminders: Use these ready-made safety talks to connect during your next safety meeting:
Introduce our driving safety games, including Speedway, as part of an e-learning component to your regular safety training sessions. You’ll find them on our Training Center page. Get one of our free posters to display at your location or share in an internal communication. Look for “Don’t Be a Speed Demon” and “Have a Tailgater?” on the Aggressive tab of our posters page.
Make plans to attend free online training May 25: Why Speed Matters.
In 2020, there were 799 fatal crashes and 115,700 total crashes in Texas that involved drivers who failed to control their speed or were exceeding the posted limit, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. That’s nearly 317 crashes every day – or about 13 crashes every hour. That’s an unlucky number.
We can strive to change habits by providing consistent education and establishing – or revisiting – our safety values, chief among them communication, respect, integrity and excellence. To be the best, we have to give our best effort to every safety challenge.
Distracted Driving Awareness Month
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and new NSC estimates show our roads are the most dangerous they’ve been in years. Each day, eight people are killed in distraction-affected crashes – eight parents, friends and co-workers. By teaming with the National Safety Council, you can use free resources to spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving and the simple changes that can help us all make it home safely on every drive.
Visit nsc.org/JustDrive to get your free, week-by-week plan.
Don’t wait to get started. Take action today by taking the NSC Just Drive Pledge to drive distraction-free.