5 steps to set up a successful fleet driver safety program

Safety is a critical issue for all fleet drivers who spend their time on the road. Traffic incidents pose a real risk to workers: according to the Bureau of Labor, they represent the leading cause of death and injury in the workplace year in and year out, accounting for 37.7% of all occupational fatalities. The roadway is also where many workers interact the most with the public—often in bulky vehicles that pose additional risks.

Because of this, companies sending workers out on the road have an obligation to drivers and the public to provide effective driver safety programs. Let’s explore five steps to set up and sustain a successful driver safety program within your organization.

1. Create a safety culture 

Safety culture is a set of shared values, actions and behaviors demonstrating a commitment to safety over competing goals and demands, according to the Federal Highway Administration. On the road, that means having both an organizational safety culture and a public safety culture, emphasizing commitment to safety for workers and other drivers. It’s important to educate drivers and implement safe driving behaviors through fact-based coaching.  

Companies should identify their goals for safety and then identify high-priority actions and behaviors that will help them achieve these goals. This could include safe behaviors, such as:

1. Inspect the vehicle before driving
2. Limit distractions
3. Always stay aware of their surroundings
4. Obey all traffic laws
5. Stay a safe distance behind the cars in front of them

But it should also include reducing or eliminating unsafe behaviors, such as:

1. Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, which accounts for 32% of all traffic fatalities. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
2. Speeding, a contributing factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities in the United States. (NHTSA).
3. Failing to wear a seat belt—64% of trucking drivers killed in automobile accidents were not wearing seat belts. (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).
4. Distracted driving, which accounts for 8% of all crashes, and claimed the lives of 3,300 people in 2022 (NHTSA).
5. Tailgating or following another driver too closely.

By focusing on developing a culture of safety at work, safe behaviors can become second nature for all drivers.

2. Establish the right metrics

There are dozens of metrics that fleets can monitor and then report on, from individual driver behaviors to organization-wide KPIs. The challenge is identifying the specific metrics that will help promote safe driving and reduce the risk of accidents.

Looking at government statistics, there are a few key risky behaviors to focus on: In 45% of fatal crashes, the drivers of passenger vehicles were engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors: speeding, alcohol impairment or not wearing a seat belt, according to the NHTSA.

These behaviors aren’t uncommon: After conducting a 2023 analysis of 155 million road-facing videos and 70 million driver-facing videos from Verizon Connect dashcam footage, the Data Science Team at Verizon Connect found that 7% of commercial drivers operate vehicles without fastening their seat belts. In addition, vehicles exceeded the posted speed limit in 40% of the videos analyzed. 

These behaviors and more can be tracked and monitored as safety metrics with fleet management software and AI-enabled intelligent dashcams. Metrics to consider include:

• Seat belt utilization
• Speeding
• Hard braking
• Hard acceleration
• Rapid acceleration
• Conducting daily vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs)

A complete fleet management solution can provide data that is focused on drivers and human factors, not just on vehicles. Data from driver management software can be used to help reduce motor vehicle crashes, which can lower the cost of repairs due to accidents, lower the risk of injuries and fatalities, bolster fuel efficiency and reduce insurance premiums.

3. Be SMART when setting goals

While fleet management software can help you track the metrics you choose, it’s up to you to establish benchmarks and goals for your drivers. Using the SMART technique in goal setting, you can help your team set and achieve higher safety standards.

• Specific: Let your drivers know exactly how they will be measured
• Measurable: Choose metrics that are easily measurable by staff and managers.
• Achievable: Fleet managers should use discretion when deciding if a KPI is achievable or not.
• Realistic: KPIs should consider working conditions and extenuating circumstances to determine realistic goals.
• Time-bound: The KPI should be bound to a timeframe to motivate workers with something to aim for.

4. Utilize scorecards to track progress

Once you have established the metrics you want to track and set goals for drivers to achieve, you can track all this information using driver “scorecards” to monitor their key safety statistics. A driver scorecard is a tool offered within fleet management software that provides key information specific to driver behavior in a clear and understandable way via a dashboard view.

Scorecards are also a great form of preventative driver coaching; proactively identifying and curbing risky behavior can help reduce the likelihood of future incidents. These scorecards can also be used as part of an incentive program. 

5. Use gamification and incentives to boost program engagement

After implementing metrics and the ability to track them accurately with scorecard programs, you may want to establish a program that leans into healthy competition and incentivizes drivers to maintain a company-wide safety standard.

Real-time data and feedback can also be used to power gamification methods, which can drive better employee performance and be used to up levels of participation and engagement. This helps with rewarding and incentivizing employees to change behaviors. Gamification can also be used to gain greater fuel efficiency and ROI—as well as to impact safety through the use of competition-based incentives aimed at safe driving behaviors.

Then layer on an employee incentive program to encourage safety and help get more out of your fleet tracking solution. Here are a few examples of cost-effective and easy driver incentives:

• Employee of the month: The employee of the month could be the driver with the best overall score, based on your scoring methodology.
• Extra vacation day: Raffle off an extra vacation day for those who qualify by achieving certain metric thresholds.
• Pizza party: If the team meets a goal, throw a pizza party at the end of the month.
• Get creative: You know your drivers best, which means you know what will motivate them the best.

Put your safe driving program on the fast track

With these five steps, you can build a successful driver safety program that extends across your entire fleet by taking a focused approach to safety.

As you get your driver safety program up and running, keep these things in mind:

• No two people are exactly alike, and neither are drivers. Help focus on safety driver-by-driver with specific data about your fleet's driving habits.
• Big, sweeping change is hard to achieve and even harder to sustain. Small acts, on the other hand, can add up to big changes. Take a similar approach to build a safety culture one driver at a time.
• Your fleet is the most visible representation of your company in the community. Helping promote the safety of your drivers extends to the community where they work and works to protect your company’s image simultaneously.

Verizon Connect is committed to helping drive a safer tomorrow by empowering fleet companies to develop and maintain effective safety programs.