Issues Fleet Managers Ought to Know to Preserve Your Driver Secure

This publish is a part of a collection sponsored by the IAT Insurance coverage Group.

For companies that depend on fleet drivers, driver security is not only about defending folks. It is also about defending your small business, repute, and your income.

Distracting driving will be costly in a number of methods

Over 3,000 folks die as they’re distracted yearly.^[1] These preventable losses have an effect on households, companies and communities, each for on a regular basis {and professional} drivers throughout fleet-dependent industries.

Skilled drivers are inherently prone to distracting driving attributable to their lengthy hours and demanding schedules. It is vital for fleet drivers and managers to grasp and deal with the foundation causes of distracted driving in an effort to defend drivers and defend companies.

Three forms of driving that can distract you

Distracting driving is just not restricted to utilizing telephones. The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration divides distractions into three principal sorts: handbook, visible and cognitive. Skilled drivers and their employers want to grasp all three to successfully scale back threat.

1. Handbook distraction

Handbook distractions embrace actions that require the driving force to maneuver one or each arms off the wheel. These embrace:

• Eat and drink whereas driving
• Adjusting radio or local weather management
• Attain out for objects like wallets and telephones
• Textual content Message (Most Harmful Habits)

Even a brief course of bodily management, comparable to letting your arms off the wheels to seize a espresso, can gradual response instances and improve the probabilities of an accident.

2. Visible distraction

Visible distractions come up when the driving force takes his eyes off the street, even for a second. A typical instance is:

• View GPS gadget or navigation app
• Rubber neck in an accident
• Take a look at objects within the automobile
• Seeing and interacting with passengers

With simply two seconds of decoupled consideration, the driving force’s threat of crashes will be doubled.^[2] Drivers, particularly those that handle complicated supply routes and unfamiliar areas, ought to both pre-program their GPS or use voice steerage to have a look at the roads.

3. Cognitive distraction

Cognitive distraction removes the driving force’s thoughts from the duty at hand – driving. These is probably not too noticeable, however they’re simply as harmful as they will harm decision-making and response instances.

• Fantasy
• I will discuss on a hands-free telephone
• Driving whereas fatigued
• You might be experiencing street anger and emotional misery

Fatigue specifically is a serious concern for drivers who work lengthy shifts or inconsistent schedules which are widespread in seasonal or logistics-heavy industries.

4 ways in which fleet managers can handle driver distractions

A multifaceted technique is required to scale back distracted driving inside fleet operations. From training to know-how, there are 4 methods to undertake lively management.

• Driver Training: Common important coaching is the inspiration for secure driving. All drivers ought to obtain common training on the dangers of distracting driving, whether or not new hires or veterans. Coaching ought to embrace real-life case research, video simulations and annual refreshes.

• Use telematics: Fashionable fleet telematics programs detect and report harmful driving behaviors, permitting managers to watch driver conduct. They’ll determine patterns of carelessness and examine incidents for root trigger evaluation. This helps create a tradition of accountability.

• Implementing hands-free know-how: Cell phone utilization is good, however some enterprise wants require occasional communication. Arms-free units comparable to voice-activated GPS programs and Bluetooth headsets may help restrict visible or handbook distractions, however usually are not multitasking licenses.

• Reduce telephone utilization: Create clear and enforced insurance policies that block non-essential telephone conversations whereas driving. Encourage drivers to finish all calls earlier than driving, hand over for emergency communications, and use distraction blocking apps. Managers ought to keep away from calling drivers inside drivers as they’ve set precedents that comfort is past security.

Eyes to the street, security of your coronary heart

Stopping distracting driving is a year-round precedence. Between the rising fatality price and rising premiums, the price of distraction is just too excessive. Educating drivers, investing in telematics and setting robust insurance policies can considerably scale back the danger of distraction-related incidents.

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[1] Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Bureau:Distracting drivingAccessed on April 8, 2025.

[2] AAA ChangeDistracting driving risksAccessed on April 8, 2025.

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Private Auto