Top Tips for Driver Safety

In 2014, nearly 115,000 people were injured or killed in accidents involving large trucks. In total, there were an estimated 438,000 accidents involving large trucks in the United States.

Many fleet manager have added training programs and telematics devices to their fleets, but unsafe driving continues to be a major issue. To help you protect your drivers, company, and other drivers, we have gathered these top tips to improve driver safety.

1. Have clear, enforced driver safety expectations

Even before you get into the specific actions needed to keep your drivers safe, you need to develop a policy with the expectations for your drivers. This policy should include information about driver eligibility, safety requirements, and performance goals.

Fleet drivers should know exactly what you expect from their performance. You can monitor driving behaviors with performance indicators and use positive incentives to encourage better behavior. You can also implement driving scorecards and use these scores to rank your drivers by performance. No one wants to be labeled the company’s worst driver, so this can help improve driving performance.

2. No cell phone, tablet, smartwatch, or computer use while driving

On average, drivers look away from the road for five seconds when sending a text while driving. Though that may not seem long, it only takes five seconds to travel the length of a football field when driving at 55 MPH. Would you drive that length with a blindfold at any speed? Don’t let your drivers do it either.

3. Watch your speed and keep it at the posted speed limit

Speeding has many potential consequences, including tickets, fines, accidents, mechanical failures, and wasted fuel. To monitor your drivers’ speed, you can use telematics devices to track the location and duration of any fast driving for later review and correction.

4. Wear a seat belt

Even a relatively mild accident can cause damage to drivers who aren’t wearing a seat belt. Avoid injuries and fines by giving periodical reminders to buckle up on the road. Telematics devices can monitor seat belt use and allow you to monitor any drivers who don’t comply.

For more information on our telematics installations, visit our fleet vehicle installations page.