Any way you look at it, car accidents disrupt business. Not only will it delay deliveries, but it will compromise your whole situation. In the era of the pandemic, it can be a fatal mistake. Imagine if you’re DHL or FedEx and you’re to deliver medical equipment from abroad when the van containing the shipment skids and crashes. Hundreds, if not thousands of lives of patients could be put in jeopardy. Then, you need to do some image fixing as your brand could go down with the accident.
Making sure your company vehicles are as far away as possible from road accidents is a must. With America as home to more transport vehicles on the road than most countries, congestion exacerbates the situation. In 2018 alone, there were 33,654 deadly motor accidents in the US, which took about 36,000 lives. That number has been steadily increasing over the years.
Before you lose faith, know there are ways to minimize the possibility of a company car meeting an accident. Here are three essentials.
Roll a Safe Driver Program
From the onset, everyone in the company must know you have safety rules regarding driving. OSHA, NET, and NTSA have heavily promoted this. That only shows how much support the government has for road safety. To boot, these agencies are giving out brochures to get your driver safety program going.
OSHA details that the program must encourage a “Be safe” driving culture. That means each driver using a company car must carry the right attitude and improve behavior while on the road. These internal requirements need to be set right from Day 1.
A good rule is banning drugs and alcohol while driving a company vehicle. That should be non-negotiable. And as even prescribed medications can cause drowsiness, these should also be prohibited when behind the wheel.
Moreover, your company should pursue regular driver training to increase driver skills. Know that road regulations change, and new challenges could come up now and then. So training should be continuous to matter. And not a one-training-fits-all event.
Additionally, you can incorporate rewards for exemplary behavior while driving. On the other side of the fence, commensurate punishment is a good idea to discourage errant behavior.
To make room for improvement, you can factor in employee feedback. That way, you will be on the same page and know the challenges drivers face on the road.
Let everyone buy into the program. It’s often best to have all these safety protocols while on the road in your employee handbook. You can then have everyone sign a timely agreement to these safety measures.
In doing so, you not only save the company tons of headaches, but you also prioritize the safety of your drivers. Know that a driver in the hospital means you need to find another one to do the job for you.
Get Your Vehicles in Top Condition
Another key aspect is your vehicles. You need to make sure you have a plan that factors in regular maintenance. It’s as essential as your employee drivers. Know that even the most robust cars out there experience setbacks over time. Having machinery in top condition means having the right maintenance experts on the job.
When accidents happen, your company vehicle can get entangled with another vehicle. It’s highly likely damages to the car will occur. That’s why determining which side is at fault in a collision and how much is best left to a car accident lawyer. Getting a competent legal professional ensures you won’t be getting the short end of the bargain. Instead, your company gets its entitled compensation when necessary.
In this regard, it’s also best your drivers comply with road safety rules, be it federal, state, or local. Moreover, you should teach your employees how to proceed should accidents occur. That way, police can get to it right away, and you get insurance compensation in a jiffy.
Review Your Processes
Indeed, you need to check your processes and timelines. Often we put pressure on the driver to deliver the goods in time. When a task comes with a clock, it certainly can be a tall order.
Instead, check if you can factor ample leeway for your drivers regarding time. Haste certainly makes waste. If your company driver needs to catch deadlines all the time, then chances are he will meet an accident one of these days. Adjusting your timelines could prove beneficial.
Then there’s the process of hiring. Make sure you’re getting professional drivers with no previous record of an infraction. Someone you can rely upon.
All these certainly sounds like a lot to carry on your shoulders. But with everyone returning home safe and sound every time, you get a better shot at success as the days go by and better profits ahead.