Winter brings a number of completely different challenges for drivers, from fewer hours of daylight to unpredictable climate patterns. That makes it a good time to instill drivers with security suggestions and refresher driver coaching packages.

Since winter is accompanied by the vacation season, it’s a busier time for nearly each trade. Whether or not your drivers are pharmaceutical reps driving to appointments, long-haul truckers, or supply drivers who’re making an attempt to maintain up with on-line procuring purchases, it’s more durable to work in a few of these much-needed coaching reminders.

Figuring out the Hazards of Winter

The problem with winter driving is that there are such a lot of methods it may be extra harmful than different occasions of the yr. Climate is, after all, the obvious menace when discussing winter. 

Almost 1 million individuals are injured in weather-related crashes yearly, and about 6,000 of these end in deaths. When drivers don’t alter their driving habits to accommodate altering or deteriorating climate circumstances, it turns into harmful for everybody on the highway round them.  

Blowing in together with these wintry circumstances is an uptick in site visitors. Extra individuals are behind the wheel as the vacation season will get underway, which suggests extra distracted and drunk drivers. 

The vacations additionally imply extra drivers journey unfamiliar roads and may make sudden stops or different abrupt strikes. With extra folks touring on roads they aren’t accustomed to, the probability for crashes goes up and the necessity for better alertness of surrounding drivers will increase.   

Drivers who work lengthy hours are preventing fatigue in addition to climate and site visitors, which ends up in extra firm automotive collisions. In recent times, supply drivers with carriers with main logistics firms have discovered themselves going through extra challenges to fulfill demand — significantly as soon as Cyber Monday arrives. The longer hours alone pose a security problem since drowsy drivers contribute to a rising variety of crashes.

Managing Driver Security Throughout the Holidays

For fleet security managers, the vacations create a particular set of challenges. It’s essential that drivers are in a position to meet their job necessities, however it’s additionally essential that they’re in a position to do it safely. 

For the reason that lengthy days and the calls for of the job make it tough to make time for behind-the-wheel driver coaching, it will possibly take a little bit of creativity to find methods to maintain your fleet drivers secure and ensure they’re following greatest practices. Listed below are 3 ways to handle driver security in the course of the holidays. 

No. 1: Decide to A Tradition of Driver Security

Each skilled driver ought to perceive that security is the No. 1 aim of their job. To do this, they should know that your organization lives and breathes a tradition of driver security, and that there are penalties for not following firm coverage.

Be certain that your secure driving insurance policies are written down and clearly spelled out, masking every part from mobile phone use to rushing to seat belt use. Along with being clear about your expectations, you must also be clear on the results. 

Drivers must know that you just’re critical about security and that violations will end in punishment. When drivers know that unsafe driving practices gained’t be tolerated, they’re extra prone to comply.

Winter is a superb time of yr to remind drivers about your secure driving insurance policies and probably even introduce a secure driving incentive program to reward drivers who obtain sure targets or milestones.

No. 2: Discuss About It Each day

Morning conferences (or initially of a shift) are the right alternative to convey up driver security reminders. Security merely can’t be overemphasized at any time of the yr, and that’s significantly true in the course of the vacation season. 

Giving day by day reminders, whether or not they’re primarily based on current incidents or no matter climate considerations drivers may be going through that day, makes certain they’re going out onto the highway with security high of thoughts. Posters in widespread areas like hallways and the breakroom are one other good method to reinforce that message. 

You may as well use this time to acknowledge drivers who’re doing a terrific job and sustaining a very good security document. Constructive reinforcement can go a good distance towards getting all drivers on board with security.

Lastly, have dispatchers get entangled within the security message as properly; present dispatchers with security reminders that they’ll share with drivers in the course of the day.  

No. 3: Implement eLearning Choices

With restricted time in the course of the vacation season, this can be a nice alternative to make the most of fleet driver eLearning choices. Deciding on particular subjects that you really want drivers to brush up on primarily based on their particular person wants is one method, or you’ll be able to introduce one matter every week for all drivers to study from.

As a result of time is such a priority, Smith System has launched a collection of quick refresher coaching modules. The Arrive Alive Security Sequence contains a number of eLearning modules, and every one reinforces the secure driving rules taught in The Smith5Keys®. 

Since every course is temporary, they are often seen shortly as a part of a day by day standup assembly or used as half of a bigger coaching initiative. Among the many titles that particularly will help with driving points generally seen in the course of the winter are Foul Climate Driving, Feelings and Driving, Avoiding Distractions, and Drowsy Driving.

Hold Your Drivers Protected This Vacation Season

With extra distractions, heavier workloads, and extra congested roads in the course of the vacation season, skilled drivers who spend a lot of their day behind the wheel have better challenges to keep up security. 

Offering your drivers with the instruments they should study greatest driving practices and reinforcing your tradition of security day by day will help be certain that they continue to be crash-free and return dwelling safely.