The first driver’s education course was held in 1934 at a high school in State College, Pennsylvania and conducted by Amos Neyhart, a professor at Penn State University. Vehicles, roads, traffic conditions and behavioral issues have evolved greatly since then, so just how well have we kept up with preparing people to drive safely—especially those who are required to spend hours each week behind the wheel as part of their job responsibilities?

Big data is really here. The amount of details we can amass related to drivers’ activities behind-the-wheel is impressive and loaded with powerful, useful intelligence. However, organizations that have access to this may still face challenges achieving maximum results because a data-driven focus can have an unintentional consequence—To see the driver as a problem to be controlled rather than a resource to be leveraged.

Anytime your drivers hit the road, they are surrounded by any number of people with diminished operational control. Distractions, speeding, fatigue, aggression, DUI—it’s a minefield out there. Faced with the 'other driver' and their poor decisions and actions it’s certainly no easy job to manage your fleet’s risk exposure but together we prepare your drivers to steer clear of the oncoming danger.

Driving in parking lots may seem non-threatening with low-speed limits and neatly organized rows and spaces, but according to the National Safety Council, tens of thousands of crashes occur in lots and garage structures annually. And, further analysis of data indicates that 9 percent of pedestrian deaths in parking lots result from backing incidents. (National Safety Council, 2016)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) revealed that there was an increase of fatalities in truck-involved crashes from 2017 to 2018. (Overdrive, 2018). And, another report found that more than half of passenger vehicle drivers involved in these fatal truck crashes were cited for driver-related factors—fatigue, speeding and inattention. (Consumer Notice, 2018).

Believe it or not, most motorists on the road today are Unconscious Incompetents. What does that mean? In the case of driving it refers to individuals who unintentionally put themselves at risk because they are unaware of the consequences of their actions while driving. Common examples include speeding through a yellow light, rolling through stop signs, or weaving in and out of traffic. If an individual never faces any repercussions as a result of these actions, their habits will eventually be hard-wired into their everyday driving style.

Every day, we are sharing the road with more drivers operating their vehicles with diminished capacity. And as more states legalize the use of marijuana, the message of vigilance and preparedness is worth repeating.

Researchers at leading traffic safety institutes around the world acknowledge that training plays an important role in developing values, beliefs, sound habits, and skills. But, that’s only if the proper instructional design methods for adult learners are incorporated into driver training programs

Despite 77 percent of fleets using telematics, most are not taking full advantage of the benefits offered by these systems. Since the technology is in the vehicle, it provides fleet managers real-time information which can be used to improve more than just vehicle efficiencies and lower fuel costs. A somewhat known, but not yet fully understood area for this technology, is that it can be used to support companies’ safety initiatives. The telematics devices actually allow fleet managers to analyze drivers’ performances more accurately than ever before.