Fleet accidents can lead to loss of life and be disastrous to a business’s bottom line. One study found that fleet accidents cost more than $20,000 each on average and having two or three accidents in rapid succession could be enough to put a business in serious financial trouble. So, you have to take all the steps necessary and use all the tools at your disposal to keep crashes to a minimum. Let’s take a look at a few things you can do to reduce preventable accidents in your fleet.
Install Forward Collision Sensors on Your Vehicle
Rear-end collisions are one of the number one causes of accidents in the country, and it’s estimated that around 20% of all accidents on US roads are the result of rear collisions. They tend to be very common among commercial fleets as well since fleet drivers can often get distracted or tired.
Installing an FCW system on your vehicles will give your drivers a chance to avoid a forward collision by alerting them that they’re dangerously closing in on the vehicle in front of them. These systems will give drivers a few seconds to realize the situation and avoid an accident. This alone could help you significantly reduce the chances of total accidents in your fleet and all the costs that come with them.
Invest in Training and Monitoring
You also have to make sure that you provide your employees with all the training that they need. All fleet drivers should be given defensive driving techniques that will directly reduce their chances that they get into accidents. And, if you are in an area that gets snow in the winter, then you should also consider having your drivers go through snow-driving training.
Screen Your Employees Properly
Preventing accidents starts before drivers put their keys into the ignition. Checking the reputation of your drivers will be very important, and you must make sure that each of them has gone through proper screening such as driver assessments and motor vehicle record checks. You should also provide new hires with proper training. Only then will you be able to start putting them on the road.
Invest in Safer Vehicles
Look at more than just running and replacement costs when looking at vehicles for your fleet. Safety should also be one of your main criteria, and you need to check the safety rating for any vehicle that you intend to put in your fleet. Safety ratings don’t just tell how well vehicles protect passengers in case of a crash but also tell you how good the vehicle is at avoiding them.
Vehicles with higher safety ratings will have better sensor systems, and smart braking systems, and will usually handle much better, which will allow your drivers to circumvent obstacles and prevent collisions.
Conclusion
These are all things that you can do starting today to prevent crashes from happening on your routes. While you can’t stop every accident from happening, these tips will at least reduce the chance that your employee is the one responsible for them.
