Failing to link Driver Training with Accident Management is a wasted opportunity.

Training results in fewer accidents - You might think this is a glimpse of the blindingly obvious!  However, it is staggering to us that most fleets we speak to do not use claim stats to formulate driver training decisions!

It seems that current practice is not to integrate them. In reality, we suppose that because most fleet operators outsource the two functions to different suppliers, controlled by different internal departments, that the twain shall never meet!

Increased Risk and Costs

What a massively wasted opportunity for the fleet operator. Not only does the fleet spend more time and money (because two suppliers are involved) but risk is also increased because poor driving habits are being left uncorrected.

How many claims businesses have built-in risk alerts integrated within their systems and that link seamlessly with a driver training company in terms of timeliness, appropriate solutions and proportionate reactions? 

How many will proactively offer real-time management data designed to highlight risk reduction opportunities?  Not many.

All this wasted opportunity contrives to create delays, which in turn causes greater risk because the driver could have re-offended or forgotten what he/she did wrong in the first place. That reduces the effectiveness of training and therefore increases cost.

And After Training?

So if, after training, claim frequency doesn’t reduce, does that mean the fleet is training the wrong people or just choosing to train them in the wrong driving skills? Or does it mean the training company is at fault?  Who looks at whether trained drivers are continuing to have accidents?

If a fleet fails to link training with claims, it becomes harder to see if the training is working and if the circumstances of the claim are not communicated to the training company, how does the training session begin to address the riskiest aspects of the driver’s habits?

Fleet managers struggle to identify whether their driver training investment is having a positive impact on accident frequency and cost because the management time involved in analysing data from claims and training companies is considerable and valuable. 

The Future

The future surely lies in bringing driver training and accident management programmes together, along with the information they generate.  The lead time between trigger and delivery of training and other risk reduction initiatives should be much shorter so as to increase their impact and effectiveness.

Furthermore, the effectiveness of training should be measured through clear reports. One supplier becomes fully responsible for identifying high risks, implementing concurrent solutions and evaluating results so next year’s strategy can be set. 

Such integration should:

• Ensure regular claimants are picked up for training at the notification stage as opposed to some months later when the driver has forgotten what went wrong or even re-offended
• Scrutinise circumstances in order that e-module selection or the brief to the in-vehicle trainer are relevant to accident causation and deal with poor driving techniques or habits that increase risk 
• Implement timely and appropriate remedial action 
• Offer instant access to reports allowing you to spot trends in claims and more importantly react to these trends in a timely fashion
• Involve the drivers in the process; keep them updated on the total cost of their claim (including TP costs) as a tool to bring home the serious implications of their actions (include the impact of the delays in reporting claims) 
• Demonstrate that the risk measures/training you put in place are, in fact, working or not.

At RVM Fleet Services our integrated approach allows us to help fleets to implement effective safety policies, analyse trends and identify high risk drivers. Our Driver Training program is targeted, timely and appropriate.  The result is lower accident rates, improved driver safety, and reduced costs.

Contact us now on 01132248888 or e-mail risk@rvmfleetservices.co.uk to find out more.