Safest Fleets Check Mobile Phones After All Collisions: NETS
The latest study involved a total of 521,000 vehicles and 9.8 billion miles traveled.
The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety reported Nov. 27 that its 2012 fleet safety benchmark study indicated the safest fleets have written policies restricting the use of mobile devices and check mobile phone records after all collisions, regardless of severity. Traffic crashes cost employers more than $60 billion annually, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to NETS, the study, named the 2012 STRENGTH IN NUMBERS fleet safety benchmarking study, is the largest examination of fleet vehicle safety it has ever conducted. The latest study involved a total of 521,000 vehicles and 9.8 billion miles traveled.
Other fleet safety practices that are common among the companies with the lowest fleet crash rates include these:
- Tracking completions of ongoing driver training on a fleet safety scorecard
- Conducting commentary drives (a/k/a ride-alongs) with new hires and high-risk drivers
- Communicating fleet safety messages via senior management presentations at meetings
The annual study collects miles driven and collisions by type of vehicle and by country, with injury data collected for the United States and the United Kingdom. Respondents are surveyed on more than 25 fleet safety program elements, including cell phone policies, training, post-crash review processes, and the use of in-vehicle monitoring technologies.
"Through this benchmarking process, we're able to learn about common elements among the leading companies and also have the opportunity to network and discuss specific challenges and share successes with other fleet safety professionals. This is what makes the STRENGTH IN NUMBERS benchmarking study such an invaluable process," said Sandra Lee, director of Worldwide Fleet Safety for Johnson & Johnson and chair of the NETS board of directors.