How to promote driver safety with telematics

For companies that deploy fleets, driver safety is a matter of public responsibility. But is simply instructing drivers to be sure to “drive safely” truly effective? Not exactly; it’s important for your organization to strive for much more.

To build a real culture of safety, it’s critical for fleet managers to narrow their focus to the individual driver level and instill good driving habits that can add up to big results. Let's first highlight the difference between unsafe driving behavior and good driving behavior, and then discuss how you can change your safety culture for the better throughout your entire fleet.

Examples of unsafe driving behavior

Unsafe and aggressive driving behaviors endanger the lives of everyone on the road. These include:

• Speeding or failing to wear a seat belt 
• Tailgating or following another driver too closely
• Improper lane change or failure to use signals when changing lanes
• Failure to yield to traffic or pedestrians who have the right of way
• Weaving in and out of traffic or cutting off another driver

Examples of safe driving behavior

Safe driving behavior is the best way to prevent motor vehicle accidents. While these behaviors may sound like common driving practices, it can be easy to let them fall by the wayside after a short time on the road. Managers should encourage their drivers to limit distractions from cell phones, other passengers, loud music or anything else that may take their attention away from driving.

Drivers should never drive while tired or under the influence, as fatigue and drowsiness are a common cause of accidents. Using mirrors before changing lanes or backing up, keeping a safe distance behind other vehicles, and staying aware of surroundings at all times can help drivers prevent collisions. 

Making sure drivers understand these key safety tips can go a long way toward improving overall driver safety and mitigating poor driving behavior. The next step toward a culture of safety is establishing a group of metrics to measure driver performance.

Tap into KPIs to help improve fleet driver safety

Developing standards for measuring driver performance is an important step in cultivating your safety culture. A telematics solution can help you measure key performance indicators to gain a clearer overall picture of driver safety. You can tap into hours of service, routes, harsh braking and speeding events all from the same dashboard. 

Using this information, you can establish a driver safety policy around driver management performance that uses the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) technique to positively influence driving style and traffic safety across your fleet.

 

Coach drivers with the right management tools

A telematics solution can give you data focused on human factors, not just on the vehicles themselves. You can turn that information into a coachable driver safety moment, creating awareness of risky driving behaviors and helping to curb dangerous and wasteful behaviors like speeding, quick starts, hard braking and harsh cornering. 

Moments like these can help prioritize driver safety and provide managers with additional returns on your technology investment. In addition, by going beyond coaching safe driving habits, you can use data to help incentivize your safe drivers with targets that come with tangible rewards.

Gain driving behavior transparency with telematics

A major benefit of telematics technology is that you can monitor all fleet vehicles and drivers in near real-time, helping to keep everyone safe. You can put fleet safety at the top of your to-do list by looking past the big picture and taking a more focused approach.

It’s important to remember:

• No two people are exactly alike, and neither are drivers. Help improve safety with one-on-one training programs with specific data about the driving habits of your fleet.
• Big sweeping change is hard to achieve and even harder to sustain. Small acts, on the other hand, can add up to big change over time. 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 ensure the safety of your drivers extends to their work community and helps to protect your company’s image at the same time.

By including driver behavior monitoring in your fleet management software solution, you’ll be on the way to building a successful driver safety culture across your whole fleet.

To find out more on how telematics can help you leverage data to improve driver behavior, visit verizonconnect.com or call 866.844.2235 to schedule a free live demo of Verizon Connect fleet management technology today.