This post is part of a series sponsored by IAT Insurance Group.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Accident record keeping requirements Back to the Future.
The FMCSA, which was discontinued after the Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) program was launched more than a decade ago, is a way for governments to better assess and potentially find a way to assess the safety of vehicles on the road. We would like to reinstate accident record keeping requirements to help. Prevent and reduce the severity of future accidents.
As an example of what powerful information collection can do for safety, the National Transportation Research Institute found that compared to the introduction of electronic logging devices in 2018, there were 7% fewer crashes and 17 fewer on-duty violations. reported a decrease of nearly %. And in 2022.[1]
Comments on the new requirements will be accepted until October 10, 2023, but with the American Trucking Associations and other industry stakeholders supporting the update, it is unlikely that the accident record-keeping requirements will eventually become a rule. All the signs are there.[2]
Regardless of when new accident record management requirements become the rule, maintaining a robust accident tracking analysis tool is beneficial for all fleets, large and small. Benefits include:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the root causes of accidents and violations,
- can determine the cost,
- and drive insight into how best to prevent them
Building a simple incident tracking and analysis tool
Beyond DOT reporting, building a tool that includes all incidents, including near misses, will help fleets identify actions that cause losses or potential losses, as well as other factors such as cargo or workers’ compensation claims. Helpful.
For example, if you notice that your vehicle is making a lot of lane-changing and merging accidents, that could mean it’s worth equipping your existing truck with a lane-departure warning system or purchasing a new vehicle with a lane-departure warning system. there is.
Building the tool does not require investment in new software. Fleets can use spreadsheets or digital tracking tools to capture and organize all relevant information. Consider including the following data points in your trend analysis report: Many of them have already been collected by fleets.
- A brief description of the incident. Create an accident scenario and possible contributing factors.
- Consider whether the accident is DOT recordable. This includes if a fatal accident occurs (regardless of fault), if an insured driver is charged in the accident, if someone goes to the hospital, or if the vehicle is towed. This includes cases where the driver has been charged.You can also use this to ensure Compliance with drug and alcohol testing.
- factor. Record everything that could have influenced the accident, such as driver fatigue, missing drivers, overtime worked, driver impairment, weather conditions, time of day, day of week, visibility, traffic levels, road conditions, etc. Masu. , location, and inspection details. To facilitate data collection, fleets can download her SMS (Safety Measurement System) which feeds into her CSA.
- Accident-related costs. Track any costs incurred by your fleet and/or its insurance company as a result of an accident. This includes insurance deductibles, uninsured costs, training and employment, driver offboarding in the event of driver termination, rentals or money to replace a truck while it is being repaired. The management changed due to the accident.
- Track preventable accidents and Accidents that cannot be prevented. This goes beyond who the insurance company claims is at fault. Notice whether there were reasonable actions you could have taken to prevent the accident, such as honking your horn or braking sooner.
- Consequential actions after an accident. The purpose of collecting this information is to provide insight into consequential actions after an accident that reduce the risk of further accidents. Is a particular driver the problem? Should I tighten up my maintenance program? Should a particular customer be excluded because their requirements led to an increase in accidents?
The importance of data collection lies not only in the information itself, but also in the story it tells about what is happening in your fleet. Together, they are expected to help run safer, and perhaps more cost-effective, operations.
Contact a Loss Control Specialist
Have questions about how to reduce your risk? Email losscontroldirect@iatinsurance.com to have your questions answered in a future blog.
Written by Chris Parker and Nancy Ross Anderson
[1] American Transportation Research Institute, “Predicting truck accident involvement: 2022 updateOctober 2022
[2] Transportation Topics, “FMCSA to update plans for airlines to keep accident records,” August 8, 2023
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