Protect Your Drivers with a New Year Resolution

As we embark on a new calendar year, what better time to look again at whether your fleet risks are being managed in the best way.  This is a prime trading period for business so the roads are full, they’re also still dark and very slippery.

Do all your drivers possess the skills and awareness required to stay safe at this time? If you’re not sure about the answer then it is probably true to say that your driving safety program needs some attention.

Taking this a stage further; do you know which of your drivers might be the most likely to have a problem on the roads?  If you’re sure you know the answer to that question, then do you know why those drivers present that higher risk? 

How much is guesswork and how much is real?  Do accessible risk-based facts back up your thoughts on who your worst drivers might be?  Also do those facts show what might be the best way to rectify poor driving habits?  What would the course content be for each driver training course?

The point being made here is that many fleets use risk management tools but not as many use them in the right way.  For example, through research, it appears less than 20% of SME fleets use claims statistics when planning a driver training program.

Additionally, our research indicates that less than 50% of those fleets that have invested in Telematics actually use the data to help reduce accidents by linking historical driving behaviours with future planning of driver training courses.

So, now is the time to act.

If you’re struggling to fully manage the data and decision-making in this area then outsource to a fully managed service provider.  Make sure the provider can absorb multiple sources of risk data, automatically check which elements are outside acceptable parameters and alert you accordingly. 

Finally, your provider should be capable of designing suitable training solutions and implementing them on your behalf.

Driving safety should command at least an equal ranking when compared to the commitment to health and safety in the rest of your business.  If that is not the case then you need to act now because driving for work is probably the most dangerous thing your staff do for you.

For these reasons, driver safety should be one of your top new year’s resolutions.

• Don’t assume that just because nothing serious has happened in several years of running the fleet that your luck will continue
• Why not arrange to see where your current efforts to reduce risk rank on a spectrum of other fleets.  Benchmarking is usually a ‘no obligation’ process

Call RVM Assist on 0113 224 8888 or go to our website for more information, www.rvmassist.co.uk 

At RVM Assist Ltd 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.