Part of fleet management responsibilities ensure that drivers have defensive driving, to ensure the preservation of lives.
In addition, the driver's behavior directly influences the profitability of fleet management and also the credibility it has with society.
Read more: TCO: how to understand and control fleet costs
For these reasons, we prepared this material to alert fleet managers about the need to encourage a defensive posture towards drivers and simple tips on how to do this.
You will find here:
Defensive driving: everything the fleet manager needs to know
4 defensive driving tips you should encourage drivers from now on
Watch your mirrors, focus on traffic and eliminate distractions
Safe distance and speed
Fatigue: an enemy of defensive driving
Good reading!
Why road safety should be every fleet manager's top priority
Driver safety is of paramount importance to managing fleets of all sizes, because even small accidents can significantly disrupt operations. Worse than that, just endangering the driver's life.
For this reason, investing in road safety is an ongoing effort. includes the installation of systems that help the driver to maintain a standard of safe behavior, training drivers for defensive driving and other actions.
Given the great importance of valuing traffic safety in fleet management, we separate here the main reasons that make this practice indispensable:
Minimizing vehicle collisions
Investing in defensive driving and traffic safety practices prevents collisions, because the driver will be ready to recognize possible road safety hazards and much more.
In addition, the driver will not drive with fatigue, which considerably increases the chances of traffic accidents.
Increased driver retention
Driver turnover is not an advantage for any fleet management. It is important to invest in road safety to improve employees' skills and perform better, which will motivate them to stay with the company.
Less spending on unscheduled repairs
In addition to the main issue – the safety of the driver, the cost also comes into play. It is difficult for fleet management to scale the amounts spent on unscheduled maintenance resulting from accidents and unsafe driving.
Read more: Cost management: does your fleet need to reduce consumption?
With investment in reducing accidents, expenses with unscheduled repairs will be lower.
Now that you know the importance of investing in driver safety and defensive driving, let's move on to the next step:
Defensive driving: everything the fleet manager needs to know
"'Defensive driving' is the act of driving in order to avoid accidents, despite the incorrect (wrong) actions of others and the adverse (opposite) conditions, which we encounter on the roads.”
Simply put, it's driving to save lives, time and money, despite the attitudes of others in traffic.
Drivers must take personal responsibility for driving in such a way that the roads are safe for everyone. It is also important to highlight that Defensive driving starts even before drivers get into their vehicles. It involves technical, preventive issues, skills and much more.
To ensure that its employees practice defensive driving, the fleet manager needs to encourage behaviors that reproduce the following 5 fundamentals:
- Knowledge: the driver must know the rules and laws, the characteristics of the vehicle he is driving and the types of traffic threats.
- Important: Drivers must be focused on driving and always alert and aware of the risks that may arise in their surroundings, without losing focus on electronic equipment, conversations and other situations.
- Abiliity: in addition to knowing the basic driving techniques, the driver must know how to behave in each risk situation. This requires experience and training.
- Decision: the driver must be prepared to make quick – but conscious – decisions when faced with a risky situation. In this way, it can avoid accidents.
- Prediction: the driver must be prepared to anticipate risks. This can be done with attention to the actions of other drivers, pedestrians, animals and other situations that may occur in traffic.
To ensure that your fleet driver acts based on these 5 fundamentals, here are some tips for the fleet manager:
- Consider training and knowledge in defensive driving a differential in the selection process;
- Reinforce the need for safe driving through courses, lectures, training and frequent meetings;
- Have a fixed preventive maintenance schedule – a mandatory defensive driving practice;
- Establish a policy of breaks in each route planning, so that drivers never work tired;
- Consider following each driver closely, and supporting each driver's work with telemetry ou video telemetry – depending on the needs of your fleet. That way, you can tell if the driver is adopting a safe direction.
Read more: Tracking, monitoring and telemetry: understand the difference
Still on the need to invest in defensive driving, here are some tips for you to work directly with fleet drivers to preserve their lives from now on:
4 defensive driving tips you should encourage drivers from now on
Start preserving lives as soon as possible: this is our main objective. So we separate some tips to help you. Look:
Seat belt: a mandatory element
According to Federal government, the correct use of seat belts by all vehicle occupants can reduce deaths and serious injuries by up to 70%.
In addition, the use of the item can also prevent accidents, since the belt retains the driver's body next to the seat, which allows maintaining control of the vehicle.
Even bearing in mind the importance of the belt, data from the National Health Survey indicate that 25,3% of people still do not always protect themselves with a seat belt in the front seat.
As a fleet manager, you must ensure that your drivers are not part of that statistic.
Therefore, always talk to your drivers, offer tips and ensure that everyone is in line with this company rule.
You can also count on the help of Golfleet. We offer intelligent solutions that professionalize the management of light fleets throughout Brazil.
With a light fleet policy well defined and supported by technology, you can configure company rules – such as mandatory seatbelt use, determining what are infractions in your operation.
Watch your mirrors, focus on traffic and eliminate distractions
Another basic defensive driving tip that you can and should offer your drivers is taking care of your mirrors. They should make sure they can look clearly from all angles, as this can prevent accidents.
Also, more than just checking mirrors and being aware of your surroundings, you need to stay focused on the road. Any slip can cause accidents, and in traffic, anything other than driving is a distraction.
You need to make sure they don't check their phone, change the radio station, eat, light a cigarette, or anything else that might distract them.
This can be done through conversations, constant feedback, training and fleet policy well adjusted.
Safe distance and speed
Keeping a safe distance from other vehicles can save lives. Therefore, your drivers should be aware that this forms part of your company's defensive driving guide.
In addition to preserving lives, it is also a way to save money with totally avoidable accidents. If at a busy intersection, for example, the driver maintains a safe distance, the chances that he will not crash the car due to unexpected braking by the driver in front are much greater.
Another very important factor, of course, is safe speed. Driving above the highway limit makes driving and controlling the vehicle much more difficult.
Read more: The consequences of speeding
In addition to putting the driver's life at risk, he often ends up getting fines and wearing down the vehicle faster.
Read more: How does tracking and tracing vehicles help reduce costs with fines?
Fatigue: an enemy of defensive driving
Thousands of accidents are reported annually due to drowsy driving, which occurs when drivers are extremely tired.
Therefore, it is also the fleet manager's responsibility to encourage drivers to work rested, take breaks and not work in conditions that may endanger their own safety.
With a healthy work routine, the fleet manager can guarantee employees that they have a defensive drive and work in good conditions.
Tips to help fleet drivers improve their behavior
In addition to investing in these tips that we brought earlier, there are some practical ways you can work on your fleet management to improve driver behavior. Look:
Create a driver safety policy
Make the most of the information provided by telemetry ou video telemetry and create a safety policy that revolves around preserving the driver's life.
Read more: Tracking can be a good ally of the manager in reducing costs
You can use history, reports and other information provided by the systems to create this document.
Prioritize fleet maintenance
Well maintained vehicles are more reliable and efficient. Therefore, keep your fleet in good condition and avoid road accidents and corrective maintenance – which always end up costing more.
Use real-time alerts and notifications
With real-time alerts – like those offered by video telemetry, for example, you can act proactively – that is, anticipate problems – and correct any dangerous driving behavior before bigger problems happen.
Read more: Car review: why is it so important in small fleet management?
Analyze the travel records of your fleet vehicles
With the driving records offered by smart solutions for fleet management, you can understand driver behavior and observe habits.
This accurate analysis allows you to think about specific training to improve driving.
We are sure that, with these tips, you will be able to preserve the lives of your drivers in traffic.
Make the most of the data and information that technology can offer you and continue to keep your fleet management up to date, to improve driver behavior and increase work efficiency.
Do you want to understand more about telemetry and enhance the results of your fleet management, while offering more security to drivers?
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