According to the National Safety Council, the cause of one in four car crashes is distracted driving, specifically texting and driving. Do you know if any of your drivers are part of that statistic? While there are many forms of distracted driving, texting while driving is by far the most dangerous. Texting while driving results in drivers taking their eyes off the road for an extended period, leaving them vulnerable to rear-ending another car, drifting into another lane or even hitting a pedestrian.
Are your drivers practicing safe driving behavior?
Do your vehicles need more than routine maintenance or are your drivers frequently involved in accidents? Your drivers could be distracted while behind the wheel. Studies show that people who text while driving, spend approximately 400% more time with their eyes off the road than a driver who does not text. While you cannot sit in the passenger seat of each of your vehicles, you can monitor how your drivers are acting on the road with fleet management solutions.
So, what can you do to prevent distracted driving?
Implement a no phone policy
While this could be difficult to enforce given that you are not with every driver in your fleet while they drive each day, implementing this policy will make it clear to them that you have zero tolerance for texting and driving. Just adding this rule will make your most cautious drivers leave the phone in their pocket, and cause the most daring driver to think twice before sending a text or making a call.
Fleet management software solutions
With Silent Passenger Fleet Tracking software you can prevent distracted driving by adding routing and communication features that remove the necessity of programming a GPS or calling a dispatcher for directions to a new job.
SP Garmin 2-Way Messaging
SP Garmin 2-Way messaging enables dispatchers to send and receive messages from your drivers and equipment operators at any time. This solution is significantly safer than having your drivers make phone calls, check emails, or read and send text messages while driving. SP Garmin 2-Way messaging also allows dispatchers to send turn-by-turn directions to drivers.
With this feature implemented, there is no reason for a driver to program a GPS with the address of their next stop, check text messages to find their next destination, or make a phone call to a dispatcher. All of the directions transmit to the GPS device in the truck, and all messages are sent and received through the equipment installed in the vehicle. This feature is a significantly safer way to allow for communication between drivers and dispatchers.
Once you have implemented these Silent Passenger features, there is no reason why any of your drivers should be on their phone while operating a company vehicle. Personal text messages, emails, and phone calls can wait until after their shift or until they have stopped somewhere. All drivers should be encouraged to pull over and come to a full stop before using their cell phones in the driver’s seat. Texting and driving is disruptive to fleet productivity and safety.
SP Drive Score Card and SP Safety
If implementing the 2-way messaging feature does not reduce accidents or unsafe behaviors, consider SP Driver Score Card and Safety . A customizable feature that monitors driver behavior and instantly alerts you when a driver speeds, hard brakes, or any other dangerous driving. This insight will allow you to create unique, safe driving training plans for your fleet. Don’t let distracted driving harm your drivers, vehicles, or company image.
Information provided by: Vehicle Tracking Solutions
