Behind the Wheel at Work

Create a culture of motor vehicle safety.

Employees need to know that leaders and frontline supervisors care about their safety. Safety is a value that should take precedence over production quotas.

• Recognize driving-related risks such as fatigue and speeding. Take action to reduce those risks.
• Identify a member of the top management team to be your company’s MVS champion.
• Invest company resources (staff and money) in an MVS program.
• Speak to all employees regularly about driving safety.
• Use key performance indicators (KPIs) (collisions per million miles driven, percentage of workers trained within 3 months of being hired, cost per motor vehicle claim) to track the success of your company’s MVS program.
• Hold those responsible for managing your MVS program accountable for results. Consider including management responsibilities in performance evaluations.
• Serve as a role model for MVS by participating in program activities (in-vehicle monitoring, road safety training) and complying with all MVS policies.

Select, train, and assess drivers.

Driver training can help new employees gain basic skills, knowledge, and attitudes to operate vehicles safely and in line with your company’s expectations. More experienced drivers may need a periodic “refresher” to maintain their skills and knowledge, while high-risk drivers (those involved in at-fault collisions or with multiple traffic offenses or policy violations) can benefit from driver training to improve their skills, knowledge, and attitudes.

• Select safe drivers:
  • Make sure every worker assigned to drive has a valid driver’s license.
  • As part of the hiring process, obtain and review the motor vehicle record (MVR) of all workers who will drive on the job. Establish minimum requirements for driver selection based on the number and type of driving violations and license suspensions on record.
• Train drivers:
  • Give basic driver training to new hires and periodic refresher training to more experienced drivers.
    • Driver training can take place online, in the classroom, in a driving simulator, behind the wheel (in the type of vehicle the driver is expected to operate), or using a combination of methods. Best practice is to cover theory through classroom or online instruction followed by practical training behind the wheel.
    • For drivers of large trucks and buses, give training on topics important to safe operation of these vehicles (securing cargo, pre-trip inspections, hours-of-service rules).
  • Give remedial training to drivers who meet criteria set by your program (drivers classified as high risk). If possible, this training should address risky behaviors shown by individual drivers.
• Assess drivers’ skills and performance regularly:
  • Conduct regular MVR checks to identify traffic violations and license suspensions. Consider purchasing software that continuously monitors MVRs.
  • Consider having supervisors conduct “commentary drives” to gain insights into drivers’ perceptions of the driving environment and help them improve their skills and performance.
  • Keep a record for each driver. Include information on acknowledgements of company policies, driver training, any driving scores or ratings your company uses, summaries of in-vehicle monitoring data, crash history, traffic violations and license suspensions, infractions of company policies, and positive recognition for safe driving.

Reduce distracted driving.

Distracted driving is usually associated with cell phones, but there are many other sources of distraction (adjusting vehicle controls or navigation system, reaching for a dropped object, interacting with passengers or pets, or just daydreaming).

Hands-free phones are not the solution to distracted driving. Research shows that they are just as distracting as handheld phones. A strong company policy – ideally, a full ban on the use of cell phones while driving – is important for protecting your workers.

• Ban all phone use (texting, handheld, hands-free) while driving a company vehicle and ban use of company-issued phones while driving a personal vehicle.
• Require workers to pull over in a safe location to look up directions, text, or to make or receive a call.
• Communicate to workers that driving is their primary job when they are behind the wheel.
• Provide workers with information to help them talk to their family about distracted driving.
• Consider using phone-blocking technology to limit workers’ cell phone use while driving.
• Consider using technology that detects and warns drivers of distracted driving behaviors (such as cameras that detect when eye gaze is not on the road).

Prevent impaired driving.

Driving while impaired by prescription or over-the-counter medication, alcohol, and other substances is unsafe and illegal. Employers should stay aware of changes in laws, technology for testing impairment, and research about the effects of substances on safe driving.

• Develop a policy that prohibits workers from operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, other drugs, or prescribed medications that could affect their ability to drive safely.
• If drug testing is used, make sure your policy describes the conditions under which testing will occur (ongoing periodic random testing, whenever impairment is suspected, or only after a crash), the threshold that will constitute impairment, and the consequences of a positive test.
• Partner with an attorney to review your policy to ensure it aligns with current laws in each state where your company operates.
• Provide access to support for employees with substance abuse problems, either through in-house programs or referrals to local resources.
• Educate drivers on the effects of substances on safe driving and the details of your policies.
• Communicate the following to workers:
  • Comply with your company’s impaired driving policies.
  • Seek help if you are struggling with substance abuse.

Select and maintain safe vehicles.

Today’s vehicles are safer than ever before. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as forward collision warning and lane departure warning can monitor the area around a vehicle and warn the driver of a potential crash. Other ADAS, including automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assist, will temporarily take control of the vehicle to avoid a crash. Today’s vehicles are also much more “crashworthy” than in the past – they are better able to withstand the forces of a crash and protect the occupants from injury.

• Purchase or lease vehicles with high safety ratings based on crash testing. Consult the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “5-Star Safety Ratings” and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Top Safety Picks.”
• Select vehicles with ADAS. Many types of ADAS have already been shown to reduce crashes, claims, and injuries. These include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.
• Ensure that drivers understand how ADAS operate – their personal vehicles may not have the same safety features. Include information about ADAS in driver orientation and training. My Car Does What is a great resource that will help reinforce employer-provided training.
• Establish policies for pre-trip inspections, scheduled maintenance, vehicle repairs and recalls, and vehicle replacement.
• Keep maintenance and repair records for any vehicle you purchase or lease.
• Communicate the following to workers:
  • Seek information about the operation of ADAS installed in their vehicle so that they understand what ADAS can and cannot do. My Car Does What is a useful interactive resource.
  • Keep tires properly inflated.