(Part 1 of a Two-Part New Year Safety Kickoff Series)
These days, an ounce of prevention is surely worth more than a pound of cure because it is easier to stop something from happening in the first place than repair the damage following an incident, right?
As you contemplate that question, let me also challenge you to think about what it means to start a new year with a new routine and new commitment to driver and transportation safety. For me, a new routine starts with the implementation of a new policy or new safety procedure. By new, I count anything that is refreshed or revamped and can be used to improve or upgrade systems that already are in place.
I will look to start anew by developing new safety tools and resources as part of an ongoing commitment to make Drug Impairment Training for Texas Employers (DITTE) and the Our Driving Concern (ODC) Texas Employer Traffic Safety Program both practical and functional for all those I serve. My goal is to continue to provide free collateral pieces and free training you can use to educate employees on risks involved with distracted driving, drowsy driving, speeding and substance use, to name a few.
PART II: Paving the Way for Safety in the New Year
All employers are confronted by these challenges. Safety is more important now than ever and requires a 24/7 and 365-day a year commitment. So, why not refresh or restart at your location? Why not join me in an effort to make 2021 special?
To that end, let us stop using old methods that might not be working and move into a new calendar year with a renewed transportation safety focus with learning opportunities, tools and resources. We’ve added five new e-learning modules to our website: txdrivingconcern.org.
These interactive lessons are fully compatible with mobile devices. You can use them to create a five-week road safety training program. When your employees pass the final quiz, they will be able to receive a certificate of completion. And that’s just one example. We’re rebuilding our entire website with a goal to put tools you can use at your fingertips. We hope you find the new user experience as easy as counting steps to success: 1, 2, 3.
Take advantage of our free resources, virtual training opportunities and, coming soon, new online gamification road safety tools. Everything we offer comes at the right price: free. Everything we do is intended to assist you in reducing incidents and cutting liability exposure costs. Crashes affect all people and can leave scarring memories.
I was reminded of this again recently when a road near me was closed at 10:30 a.m. because of an impaired driving incident. You don’t tend to think of drunk or drugged driving incidents occurring at that time of the morning. But they can and they do, and that’s why prevention is still the best medicine moving forward.
– Lisa Robinson is a senior program manager with the National Safety Council