What Fleet Managers Have to Know to Preserve Drivers Protected

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

For companies that depend on fleet drivers, driver security isn’t nearly defending folks — it’s additionally about defending your small business, your repute and your backside line.

Distracted driving is dear, in additional methods than one

Over 3,000 folks lose their lives resulting from distracted driving yearly.^[1] These preventable losses affect households, companies and communities, each for the on a regular basis driver {and professional} drivers throughout fleet-reliant industries.

Skilled drivers are inherently extra prone to distracted driving resulting from lengthy hours and demanding schedules. It’s essential for fleet drivers and managers to grasp and deal with the foundation causes of distracted driving to maintain drivers secure and companies protected.

The three kinds of distracted driving

Distracted driving isn’t restricted to cellphone use. The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration categorizes distractions into three main sorts: handbook, visible and cognitive. Skilled drivers and their employers should perceive all three to successfully scale back threat.

1. Guide distractions

Guide distractions contain any exercise that requires the driving force to take one or each arms off the wheel. These embrace:

• Consuming or consuming whereas driving
• Adjusting the radio or local weather controls
• Reaching for gadgets akin to a pockets or cellphone
• Texting (essentially the most harmful habits by far)

Even a quick lapse in bodily management — akin to taking a hand off the wheel to seize a espresso — can delay response time and enhance the chance of an accident.

2. Visible distractions

Visible distractions happen when drivers take their eyes off the highway, even momentarily. Frequent examples embrace:

• Taking a look at GPS units or navigation apps
• Rubbernecking at accidents
• Testing gadgets contained in the car
• Taking a look at or interacting with passengers

Simply two seconds of diverted consideration can double a driver’s crash threat.^[2] Drivers, particularly these managing advanced supply routes or unfamiliar areas, ought to preprogram their GPS or use voice steering to maintain their eyes on the highway.

3. Cognitive distractions

Cognitive distractions take the driving force’s thoughts off the duty at hand — driving. These could also be much less seen however are simply as harmful as they will impair decision-making and response time:

• Daydreaming
• Speaking on a hands-free cellphone
• Driving whereas fatigued
• Experiencing highway rage or emotional misery

Fatigue, particularly, is a big concern for drivers working lengthy shifts or inconsistent schedules, that are frequent in seasonal or logistics-heavy industries.

4 methods fleet managers can handle driver distraction

Decreasing distracted driving inside a fleet operation requires a multifaceted technique. From schooling to know-how, listed here are 4 methods to take proactive management:

• Driver schooling: Common, obligatory coaching is the muse of secure driving. All drivers — whether or not new hires or veterans — ought to obtain schooling on the hazards of distracted driving usually. Coaching ought to embrace real-life case research, video simulations and annual refreshers.

• Use telematics: Fashionable fleet telematics techniques can detect and report dangerous driving behaviors, permitting managers to watch driver habits. They’ll determine patterns of inattention and examine incidents for root trigger evaluation, which may help create a tradition of accountability.

• Implement hands-free know-how: Whereas zero cellphone use is right, some enterprise wants require occasional communication. Arms-free units, akin to voice-activated GPS techniques and Bluetooth headsets, may help restrict visible or handbook distractions — however they’re not a license to multitask.

• Decrease cellphone use: Create clear, enforced insurance policies that discourage any nonessential cellphone conversations whereas driving. Encourage drivers to complete all calls earlier than driving, pull over for pressing communications and use distraction-blocking apps. Managers ought to keep away from calling drivers mid-route because it units a precedent that comfort outweighs security.

Eyes on the highway, security in your thoughts

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

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[1] Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration “Distracted Driving,” Accessed April 8, 2025.

[2] AAA Alternate “The Risks of Distracted Driving,” Accessed April 8, 2025.

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Personal Auto