Join The Push For Better Driver Safety

Bloomberg ran an important article discussing the results of an increase in driver casualties on the road. The article notes that roadway incidents are increasing, which has drawn the concern of safety organizations. The overall theme is a growing campaign for better driver safety programs.

Since these kinds of incidents fall under DOT regulations and not under the control of safety organizations like OSHA, most of the pressure to improve driver safety is coming from other places. This article mentions the Teamsters, for example, as one organization working with safety groups to create a universal safety policy of sorts that trucking companies could abide by.

The policy included important points such as distracted driving policies, defined rest break periods and specialized vehicle training. These are all important and worthy parts of any safety program. But these collectively all suggest what we like to drive home with readers: that safer driving begins with safer driver behaviors.

The promotion of safer driving practices starts with a training program that pays critical attention to poor habits drivers develop on the road that lead to accidents. More companies have invested in such programs as part of this push for better driver safety. LLLC-certified safety programs could help a great deal in reducing accidents by forcing drivers to drive defensively.

The A-Fleet program is a good example of one of these new driver safety programs. The videos that comprise the training are much shorter and watchable than the coma-inducing safety videos most companies have used for decades. Even better, the structure is designed so that videos can be watched on the go on phones and tablets and completed little by little.

More to the point, the A-Fleet runs through common scenarios drivers encounter on the road which often lead to accidents. These include many of the same issues that organizations are trying to address in building new safety policies. It is these new programs that will ultimately help drivers become safer on the road because that initial training, rather than any rules or regulations, is what will have the greatest impact on driver behavior and choices.

The number of driver incidents and deaths will always be too high because one is too many. But it is good that now other organizations outside the federal sphere feel obligated to try and improve the quality of their safety training. Invest in one of these new safety programs and join the push for better driver safety. Safer drivers mean safer roads and a better tomorrow.