Safety Coach
Checkup Time
Spring is upon us, and many will take to the road for a well-deserved break. As employers, we always have safety top of mind, especially when it comes to driving. We encourage safe travel, distraction-free driving and occupant protection for our employees, whether they are driving on or off the job. There may even be a pre-trip checklist required before departing on a work-related task. We check the vehicle brakes, oil, tires, but many of us don’t think about checking for a vehicle safety recall.
More than 50 million vehicles are traveling on U.S. roadways with open vehicle safety recalls, and more than 5.6 million of those are in Texas. That’s nearly 25% of all vehicles operating in the state. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified March 4-10 as Vehicle Safety Recalls Week.
To help with this special traffic safety recognition, the National Safety Council and Check to Protect are reminding everyone – drivers, employers and fleet managers – about the importance of checking for and repairing open vehicle safety recalls. Check to Protect is an online resource providing quick and easy ways for drivers to learn if their vehicles have an open recall.
This service is not only for individual vehicle owners. Employers and other organizations that operate fleets can conduct bulk vehicle recall checks by going to the Fleet/Dealer page on the Check to Protect site.
Not only do we encourage companies to check fleet vehicles for open safety recalls, we also encourage employers to share the message with employees – their most important asset. Many may be unaware the vehicle they drive to work every day could have a dangerous problem.
It’s important to repair all recall issues, but some come with special warnings:
- A “Do Not Drive” warning is for equipment like defective air bags
- A “Park Outside” directive may be due to the heightened risk of fire, especially important for an employer to know if employees park in a parking structure or near company property
Check to Protect makes it as easy to share vehicle safety recall messaging as it is to check for safety recalls. Simply go to the web page and click the “Resources” tab at the top of the page. There you will find ready-made social media messages, FAQs and one-pagers. Additional resources may be found on the Check to Protect Social Press Kit Resource Page. Here you will find posters, flyers, palm cards and web banners. Everything is free to use.
If you have any questions about Check to Protect, please reach out to Lonny Haschel at [email protected].
Tailgate Talk
Safe Space, Safe Pace
Many employers in Texas who operate fleets, including a number of local city government agencies, use fleet tracking devices to check driver behavior and correct safety issues. Some also use speed governing systems to regulate vehicle speeds, conserve fuel and help reduce maintenance costs.
In 2022, one driver at Pioneer Natural Resources won the Permian Basin region’s inaugural No Need for Speed award after logging more than 600 hours behind the wheel during a six-month period without incident. In 2023, Pioneer was recognized as an exemplary award winner by the National Safety Council and Our Driving Concern Texas Employer Traffic Safety program for its commitment to safety.
Drivers who failed to control their speed contributed to 136,165 crashes in Texas in 2022, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. That’s more than 370 crashes every day. TxDOT data also shows one person was injured in a crash every 2 minutes 9 seconds on roads across the state.
What can you do to continue to promote safe driving and reduce speed-related incidents?
Get these free resources from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and launch your own safe speed campaign:
Or, use our free materials to complement continuing education efforts at your location:
- Download and display: Don’t Be a Speed Demon
- Online training: Get your team started with free driver behavior micro e-learning modules, including one that covers issues related to aggressive driving and speeding
- Lead a safety talk: Use our Safety Huddle sheet to discuss how speed increases the likelihood of being in a crash and severity of injuries in a crash
From time to time, we all need reminders to slow down and enjoy life, right? What better way to accomplish this than by embracing a comprehensive health and wellness program that includes road safety?