The Dangers that Fleet Drivers Face

The dangers that fleet drivers face are considerably more than commuters have to deal with due to their increase presences on the motorways across the UK and Europe. There are ways to reduce these dangers and keep your fleet drivers safer, and in so doing reduce your costs for motor fleet insurance.

Will continuous training reduce dangers fleet drivers face?

Yes training is a key component to reducing accidents and risk levels of fleet drivers. With a regular training session, the most important road safety hazards can be repeatedly discussed so that the drivers will have these situations freshly implanted in their minds. These hazards include the following;

Overexertion from sitting for a prolonged time behind the wheel.
Driving at night.
Driving in severe weather.
Driving over poorly maintained roads.
Delivery deadline dilemma.

By providing your fleet drivers with a consistent message during the meetings, they will be better prepared to avoid the hazard when they encounter them on the road.

Does the driving style of the fleet drivers increase their risk factors?

Again, the answer is yes. This is another area that can be discussed during training. By consistently reminding your drivers of the dangers of certain aspects of driving styles, they can reduce the risks. These styles of driving that need to be avoided include the following;

Reckless driving by constantly changing lanes, tailgating and speeding.
Being distracted while driving by using a cell phone, daydreaming, eating, drinking, reading and writing.
Fatigue will cause a driver to react slower to a situation and reduce their effectiveness when having to make a snap judgment when a hazard is encountered.
Being overly aggressive when driving includes cutting other drivers off, blowing horns, making obscene gestures to other drivers and flashing lights to get others to get out of your way.

What can a company do other than training to reduce the risks on their drivers?

While training is a vital component to reducing risk fleet drivers will face on the roads, so are the right types of company policies all drivers must comply with while at work.

To help reduce fatigue there should be a time limit each driver has for continuously operating of a vehicle. Regularly scheduled breaks will reduce fatigue and help to keep drivers alert when on the road.

A policy on the proper use of a cell phone is a must today. There are many locations around the world where texting while driving is against the law. This should also be a company policy, so it is in writing. The company should also provide the equipment so that the phone can be answered and communication can occur while being hands free.

Each vehicle should also be regularly inspected to make sure they are road ready. This will reduce the risk of mechanical failures on the road.

Conclusion

The most important policy to have is a no tolerance on driving under the influence of alcohol.

A company can reduce the dangers that fleet drivers face by regularly scheduling training session and maintenance inspections on vehicles along with having the right policies in place. An added bonus of having these measures in place is most insurance companies will reduce the premiums cost for multi van insurance because the risks have been reduced.