3 ways to make your fleet safer 

10 Ways to Establish a Fleet Safety Culture

Safe driving is the lynchpin of a fleet safety culture, and that means focusing on driver training. Making it clear to drivers what driving behaviors they should and should not be doing is a fleet safety policy must.

But let’s be clear. Drivers do know what safe driving is. They know that they should drive defensively, obey traffic signs, drive the speed limit, yield the right of way, and, of course, not drink and drive. It’s pretty much common sense and rules of the road that everyone must follow. However, when fleet drivers are in a hurry and worried about meeting scheduled stops, checking messages, and returning calls, safe driving sometimes falls by the wayside.

Fleet managers can fight this with safe driver training paired with a deeply-rooted safety culture for their fleet. Drivers should be aware that their safety is vital to the fleet and that their actions play a role in it. Once the safety policy is clearly communicated, fleet safety management services from MiX Telematics can help you keep track of driver behavior and create training programs that help them improve.

1) Clear, Consistent Communication

Communication is the foundation for a successful fleet safety culture. Drivers do better when they know what is expected of them and when it is regularly reinforced. There are several ways fleet managers can stress the importance of fleet safety in their daily communications, such as:

• Include a safety tip or touch on the importance of safety in every meeting or conference call
• Cover safety issues regularly in the company newsletter
• Gamify safety training with contests and recognitions for safe driving behavior

Repetition of the safety message emphasizes its importance and increases awareness, and reinforces fleet safety culture.

2) A Detailed Fleet Safety Policy

A detailed fleet safety policy gives drivers a guide to refer to and also underscores how essential fleet safety is to the entire business. A fleet safety policy should cover topics such as:

• Safe driver training
• A seat belt policy
• Distracted driver policy
• Regular driving behavior reviews
• An accident review board or committee
• A clear policy on aggressive or risky driving events
• Consequences for violations of the safety policy

The clarity and details in a fleet safety policy document will demonstrate the importance of safety to your business and how seriously management takes it. Is safety just another item to cover on a checklist, or is the document evidence of a deeper commitment? In order for the safety policy to get results, every element must be clearly defined, and any consequences must be clearly delineated.

3) Develop and Implement a Seat Belt Policy & Distracted Driver Policy

Developing a seat belt policy is the cornerstone of a safety policy. All drivers and passengers in all feet vehicles must have their seatbelts on before the vehicle goes anywhere. Highlight the safety of wearing a seatbelt, not just for drivers but for their passengers and others on the road.

When drivers take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel to text or engage in other activities, they automatically increase the chances of a crash. When you establish and implement a no distracted driving policy, you have increased the safety of your fleet and others on the road.

With MiX Vision, you can alert drivers when they engage in risky behavior, such as whether or not drivers and passengers are buckled in. You can also alert them about distracted driving. This demonstrates to drivers your commitment to their safety.

4) Recognition for Drivers’ Safety Records

Since safety is considered a part of the job, drivers should be recognized and rewarded for their achievements in this area. You can determine the events you want to recognize, such as years of no accidents or traffic violations.

Ways to recognize safe driving include:

• Feature them in a company newsletter
• A commendation from leadership
• Awards such as gift cards or other perks

When your drivers see that safety is rewarded, they will know that the company takes safety seriously.

5) Offer Driver Training and Coaching

One of the best ways to improve driver safety behavior is to offer training customized to each driver’s needs. Real-time training combined with classroom instruction gives your drivers the practical skills they need to reduce risks and help avoid crashes on the road.

MiX Telematics offers telematics tools that can supercharge your driver training. You can share driver behavior statistics one-on-one or gamify the training program to foster friendly competition among your drivers.

6) Vehicle Maintenance & Selection

When vehicles are well-maintained, they are automatically safer. This helps eliminate crashes and accidents due to vehicle breakdowns. Fleet telematics can provide metrics that help you schedule fleet vehicle maintenance in advance, helping to keep your fleet running efficiently and safely.

Choose your fleet vehicles with safety top of mind. You can pull stats on things like crash tests for the vehicles you choose and let your drivers know what they are to demonstrate your commitment to a safety culture further. And that you expect as much from yourself and the business as you do from your drivers.

7) Measure to Track and Improve Fleet Safety

You can’t improve what you don’t measure and track. There are several safety-related statistics that a MiX Telematics solution can help you measure to improve fleet safety, including:

• Motor vehicle records (MVRs)
• Accidents by driver and vehicle
• Average cost of accidents, including repairs, injuries, liability, and other costs

Drivers should understand the costs and consequences to themselves and their company, when they are involved in an accident. Any metrics that demonstrate the effects of safe driving will help build a safety consciousness in all drivers.

8) Check Drivers' Motor Vehicle Records

An MVR policy can demonstrate your commitment to fleet safety. An MVR review should be a part of your hiring criteria and a condition of employment for new drivers. A record of violations suggests the possibility of risky driving that could cost your business. Your current drivers should also know that their MVRs will be checked annually for violations.

9) Accountability for Improved Safety Culture

Keeping your drivers accountable to you and themselves, other fleet drivers and employees, other drivers on the road, and customers not only while on the job but elsewhere, reinforces the importance of a safety culture. Communication about safety should be general, not only in the context of work hours but also during personal time.

For instance, a seatbelt policy should incent drivers to wear seatbelts when driving on their own time. Likewise, a distracted driving policy should do the same, whether on the way to a job site or service call or taking kids to the movies.

By encouraging drivers to extend safety into their lives, they will not only be safer but more likely make safety a habit during work hours as well.

10) Importance of Buy-in from Leadership

All employees take their cues from the top, so when leadership speaks, employees pay attention. Getting support and ongoing involvement from leadership can amplify your efforts in creating a safety culture for the fleet. For instance, when the safety policy is rolled out and implemented, an announcement from leadership underscores its importance and is taken seriously.

To achieve long-term fleet safety, fleet managers have to continue to highlight the importance of safe driving behaviors. If safety is only brought up every once in a while, it won’t have any real effect. To keep safety at the forefront, keep records of the safe and unsafe driving behaviors of all drivers. With MiX Telematics, you can pull reports and sort by driver, vehicles, or events to get a complete picture of your fleet’s driving behavior. Contact us today to learn more about our fleet safety management services.