800-How S My Driving

SafetyFirst Program Performance Indicators

How many complaints are “average” for a typical fleet? Most clients receive between two and three calls per hundred vehicles per month. This expected “average” is lower when the client operates in very remote, rural areas (agribusiness operations, pipeline contractors, etc.) because they are not as visible by the general public. Conversely, fleets in highly congested urban areas tend to get more calls because they are so visible. Another way that the expected average will be reduced if is the account uses very small decals (“bumper sticker” size): flatbed trailers, passenger cars, pickup trucks and minivans, etc. These fleets usually range from 0.75 to 1.5 calls per hundred vehicles per month (about half the normal amount). Actuarial studies have shown that most (“typical”) fleets with five (5) or more calls per hundred vehicles per month will have a greater accident frequency than the average SafetyFirst fleet. Fleets which routinely average over 5.00/100/month should request assistance from their insurance carrier and/or SafetyFirst to investigate why the call ratio exceeds the typical “norm”. Should all the observation reports be returned to SafetyFirst by the fleet? To make the program be effective at reducing accident frequency, managers MUST follow up with drivers and SafetyFirst. Actuarial studies showed that fleets who take on the program, but fail to follow up with SafetyFirst (on action taken in response to complaints) received little reduction in accident frequency. Ideally, every observation report will be investigated and faxed back to SafetyFirst indicating what action was taken to investigate the reported incident (along with any comments from the affected driver). If you do not agree with the nature or credibility of any report, you can either return it noting that “no action” was taken, or challenge the report to have it removed from the record. We recommend leaving the report in the database in case subsequent reports reveal a trend. Most fleets have not been able to return every single report that is generated by SafetyFirst, and actuarial studies have shown that fleets who consistently return an average of 80-90% of reports gain significant benefits from the program measured in accident frequency reduction. Another reason to return reports is to match driver names to incident reports so the SafetyFirst can generate information on drivers who receive multiple reports (without returning reports, SafetyFirst can not assign observation reports to specific drivers). What percentage of drivers will actually receive multiple reports? Studies have determined that in a “typical” fleet (normal turnover, reasonable hiring criteria applied, etc,) eighty percent (80%) of drivers will never receive a complaint report, ten percent (10%) will received one complaint, and ten (10%) will receive multiple complaints. How do most managers follow up on reports with their drivers? The primary goal of the program is to save lives and avoid injuries. Most managers focus their efforts on listening to the driver’s side of the alleged incident and then coaching on safety issues. The report isn’t about blame setting or arguing over the name of the cross street, but about raising safety awareness through training. The collision countermeasures that come with the reports about dangerous risk taking are a great tool to help drivers recognize that they can improve their driving habits. Drivers with repeated complaints of risk taking behavior should receive focused help to modify their behavior. Many managers use the “Ten Minute Training Topics” as a training tool for specific drivers. If the affected driver is not able or willing to change how they drive (after repeated training and coaching sessions), then the management team may need to develop other action plans. Management’s response to each observation report can also demonstrate a progression of activity – verbal counseling, training, written warning with counseling, etc. Managers who continually dismiss observation reports without diligent follow up may be sending a dangerous signal to other drivers (i.e. “it’s ok to get complaints about speeding as long as the route is delivered on time”, etc.). Managers who repeatedly mark “No Action Taken” may be avoiding talking to drivers, or may not understand that the report provides an opportunity to help the driver improve their driving (may think that the program is about blame finding).