Fleet Driver Risk Solutions to the DWT Epidemic
DWT is an acronym for “Driving While Texting” and what began as a infrequent concern for Fleet Directors or company management has become a full blown epidemic of Fleet Driver Risk with Multi-Million dollar settlements already awarded for the reckless loss or life or property due to this disabling driver behavior.
At this moment how many fleet drivers are engaging in known, proven dangerous activities while driving company vehicles, that are:
- Endangering their lives and the lives of others
- Endangering the damage or loss of your companies vehicle
- Jeopardizing the loss of multi-Million dollar settlements
- Tarnishing your company reputation in the market or community
Are Your Fleet Drivers 23 Times More At Risk?
From a study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI):
- A truck driver texting while driving is 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident than a trucker paying full attention to the road.
- A truck driver dialing a cell is 5.9 times more likely to crash.
- A trucker reaching for a phone or other device is 6.7 times more likely to experience a truck accident.
For every 6 seconds of drive time, a driver sending or receiving a text message spends 4.6 of those seconds with their eyes off the road. This makes texting the most distracting of all cell phone related tasks.
“In 2002, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year as a result of using cell phones while driving. They estimated that another 330,000 are injured.”
Failure To Act Penalties are Staggering
Private fleets are facing a Tsunami of risk and the potential losses in capital, assets and much higher fleet insurance costs could amount to a metaphorical tidal wave that could wipe out company profits if a manageable mechanism is not incorporated to help reduce the incidence of this dangerous driving behavior, and proper management oversight is not in place ASAP.
49 Million dollars awarded In Trucking Accident Involving Texting
How many companies can suffer the loss of $49,000,000.00 without serious damage to their structure or core? Most small to medium sized companies will be wiped out or bankrupted with a single settlement of this magnitude.
There is a low cost alternative that will help them enforce the current laws and provide substantial management oversight in the goals of preventing accidents before they happen.
DWT Fleet Driver Risk Solutions
Incorporate DWT Materials into Professional Driver Training
The most basic form of driver awareness to these dangers is in a formal training environment, from the start with periodic reinforcements, and case studies when appropriate to try to keep this at the forefront of the driver’s awareness as to the costs far outweighing the benefits.
Company Policy No Cell Phones
It is already unlawful for Interstate or heavy duty truck and bus drivers to use their cell phones when driving, it is still a daily driver behavior that cannot be eliminated as it is so hard to detect and widespread. While a company is free to tell their drivers they must not have a cell phone while in the vehicle, the actual number of employees who will follow this policy may fall to stop usage.
Driver Training Device
While it is wise and prudent to incorporate the dangers presented by DWT into all levels of Professional Driver Training, it is irresponsible to be so naive as to believe your fleet drivers will not have their cell phones with them and will not use them when driving.
What is needed is a functional mechanism in place to validate either: the use of a cell phone for voice calls, the use of a cell phone for texting or non use of those devices that can be immediately and unequivocally proven in defense of current or as part of future incident or event claims or arbitration.
The XYwayCam is a Driver Training Device (DTD) that is a Fleet Driver Risk Management Tool already in use in correcting poor driving behaviors in Japan, Taiwan, Middle East and in the USA, through the use of active Driver Alerts when they exceed safe parameters of driving.
The XYwayCam system records the video view out the windshield, plus inside Driver /Passenger video as well as audio.
Non-professional drivers with little concern for law or company policy will be recorded in violation of company policy or laws and it will be up management to provide proper oversight / discipline when necessary to correct these potentially deadly dangerous driver behaviors.
Those interested in receiving more information may call or e-mail for prompt literature or pricing.
Reseller pricing is also available upon request.
NJC - Driver Risk Management Solutions, June, 2009