Take Heed of the Tortoise and the Hare: Dashing Doesn’t Win

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

There’s a lot knowledge to be extracted from Aesop’s timeless fable “The Tortoise and the Hare” in terms of driver dashing.

Because the Hare found, dashing doesn’t save time or sources. As an alternative, research present that whereas drivers solely achieve mere minutes once they exceed the pace restrict by 10 miles per hour,^[1] dashing will increase each the chance of a crash and fatalities occurring.^[2]

In 2021, pace was concerned in 29% of all traffic-related deaths, and a mean of 33 folks within the U.S. had been killed every day in a speeding-related site visitors incident.^[3]

Non-crash penalties of dashing

Past a crash, harm or fatality, dashing has a number of penalties, together with:

Dashing tickets, impacting each the motive force and the fleet provider. Most states don’t let drivers with a CDL take a security class to keep away from conviction, and fleet drivers stopped for dashing are sometimes subjected to a prolonged inspection and extra citations. The common price of loss for an accident involving a fleet automobile is roughly $70,000,^[4] and naturally, prices for business insurance coverage improve for drivers with poor driving data.

Lack of employment and/or driving privileges is a substantial consequence for fleet drivers who pace. Most carriers have a dashing coverage that permits for minimal driver violations earlier than employment privileges are taken away and the motive force is let go. As well as, most states enable insurance coverage corporations to exclude drivers with a number of infractions from their business insurance coverage insurance policies, which regularly ends in the termination of employment. Dashing drivers who don’t lose their jobs should still lose out on their organizations’ driver security bonus incentives.

4 methods fleet carriers can cut back dashing and enhance security

It’s essential to proactively decrease the prevalence of dashing in your online business. Listed below are 4 methods to do it:

1. Be taught from telematics information.

Telematics pulls again the curtain on driver conduct to supply clear insights into the challenges your drivers are having on the street. Pay shut consideration to your workforce’s pace and if there are particular areas or areas that drivers are inclined to usually pace via. Perceive which drivers and areas are recurring offenders.

Have interaction in enchancment teaching with “hare” drivers who’ve frequent occurrences of laborious accelerations, laborious braking, cornering pace and idle time whereas additionally recognizing the extra constructive driver habits of your “tortoise” drivers.

2. Schedule drivers for fulfillment.

Delays are frequent and drivers might really feel the necessity to pace to make up for misplaced time, whether or not they bought a late begin or hit sudden site visitors. Be certain that drivers have sufficient time to securely arrive at their vacation spot with out feeling rushed. Visitors could cause anxiousness and misery, so plan realistically and make efforts to keep away from high-traffic areas throughout rush hour by delaying departure instances or altering routes.

Step again and reply this query to guage if your organization tradition is aligned:

Will we ship a constant message that an important factor is for our drivers to prioritize a secure and sensible haul, or are we inadvertently reinforcing drivers who get there as quick as they will, whatever the dangers?

3. Keep on prime of upkeep.

Vehicles which are nicely maintained may have much less purpose to be sidetracked, stopped or have an accident on the street. Completely examine and preserve all automobiles to assist keep away from mechanical points whereas driving. Topping off gasoline and wiper fluid and checking tire strain forward of time are minor steps that can also keep away from main delays.

4. Observe persistence (although it’s laborious)!

Lack of persistence is a standard purpose for dashing, so take the time to search out what helps you preserve composure and self-restraint whenever you’re feeling beneath strain.

Drivers: Take a second to breathe, loosen up and prioritize secure driving whenever you really feel behind or rushed.

Fleet operators: Foster a tradition of reasonable expectations and understanding so drivers really feel empowered to make secure selections on the street.

The results of dashing are actual and could be devastating. Keep in mind Aesop’s fable: The race doesn’t all the time go to the swift. For skilled business drivers and their fleet carriers, the race is gained by those that end the job and ship the products safely.

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By Dewayne Reeder

[1] KTLA5 “Why speeding doesn’t save drivers much time,” Might 1, 2023.
[2] Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security “Speed,” July 2023.
[3] Nationwide Security Council “Motor Vehicle Safety Issues,” accessed November 25, 2023.
[4] Insurance coverage Enterprise Journal “What’s subsequent for business auto danger in 2023?,” January 12, 2023.