What’ s wrong with my fleet?
Forward
A common objection is that driver training can be too costly to consider. Even for companies who are focused on training, it is often seen as a luxury that can be trimmed down during lean trading periods. Both are misconceptions; in fact having a welltrained, qualified driving staff can have a positive financial impact:
� Better drivers use less fuel.
� Vehicles are exposed to less wear and tear.
� Accidents and repairs should be minimised.
� Insurance premiums are likely to be lower.
Managed drivers are happier drivers, and happier drivers are more likely to be loyal and hard working.
Identify, manage and monitor your incidents.
FACT: Businesses paid out more than £ 26m in insurance excess payments as a result of collisions involving company vehicles last year.
Despite the fact that RTAs have impacted 86 % of fleets in the past 12 months, an alarming number of drivers
are still driving without due consideration for basic road safety. 16 % of business drivers report feeling‘ invincible’ when driving, claiming that they never consider their safety to be at risk( source: Masternaut.) Speeding is by far the most common driving offence
committed by company drivers, according to figures released by Capital Solutions Fleet Services. Analysis of the company’ s 55,000-vehicle fleet shows that 41 % of fines recorded in the last 12 months were for speeding. Other common offences such as congestion charge avoidance and parking fines only amount to around half of the same level.
Clearly companies need to invest in accident avoidance. Driver training, ongoing education programmes, telematics, vehicle safety checks, speed limiting technology and driver incentives are all highly effective, proven measures of risk reduction. However it’ s impossible to eliminate the risk of accidents completely therefore it’ s equally important to have a structured accident management process in place
31 % of UK businesses with 100 or more employees are doing nothing to address driver behaviour, nor are 62 % of companies with less than 100 employees. 1
too, so that if the worst should happen, you’ re prepared. Your accident response procedure starts at the point of impact. Drivers need to know exactly what to do, what information they need to give and gather, and who to contact. Erecting a warning triangle on the approach to an incident site, or moving a vehicle out of the path of traffic are simple enough tasks, but drivers need to know when to step in and when to leave the site untouched, as intervening with the best of intentions could be potentially unsafe, or could hinder the gathering of evidence.
1. Corporate Vehicle Observatory( CVO) Barometer
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