What’s In It for Me?

How Driver Safety Programs Benefit You

So, your employer has decided to implement a driver safety program, including telematics. Are you wondering if this is a good thing for you? The company’s reasons for implementing a driving safety program are clear. However, it is not uncommon for drivers to have questions and initial concerns.

So, let’s take a look at some of the ways in which safety programs can impact you as a driver.

Priority Number One

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, motor vehicle accidents remain the leading cause of work-related fatalities by a wide margin. Obviously, being able to return home to your friends and loved ones after the workday is a priority for you. Well-organized and managed safety programs are designed to improve those odds.

If that fact does not get your attention, responses to the 2024 Travelers Risk Index Survey provide an alarming view on the people you share the road with:

Source: 2024 Travelers Risk Index Survey – Drivers who admit to these behaviors while driving

Participating in a safety program and focusing on your safe driving habits help keep you in the best position to drive responsibly alongside others who may be using their devices while driving.

Get the Target Off Your Back

As an operator of a commercial vehicle, you are a prime target for plaintiff attorneys. Although National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows that passenger cars are nearly 1.5 times more likely to be involved in an accident than light trucks and over 2.5 times more likely than heavy trucks, commercial operators get hit with a vastly disproportionate share of litigation. Being named in a lawsuit and having to provide testimony is stressful and disruptive. And, depending on the circumstances, you could also face personal liability.

The Best Defense Is a Good Defense

A well-run safety program that leverages telematics or dash cameras can provide concrete evidence to exonerate you when you did nothing wrong. Wouldn’t it be nice to have proof when someone calls in with a bogus “1-800-How Am I Driving” complaint? In an American Transportation Research Institute survey, legal experts estimate that evidence from road-facing cameras exonerates drivers 63% of the time.

Evidence from road-facing cameras exonerates drivers 63% of the time.

Skip the Guilt

Severe injury and / or death is not something anyone wants on their conscience, especially if any of the blame might lie with you. Did you know that research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that it can take you up to 27 seconds to re-focus once you are distracted?

Guard Your Wallet

Tickets and fines take dollars out of your pocket, and moving violations cost you even more when your personal auto insurer raises your rates.

Less Stress, More Efficiency

Nobody likes sitting in traffic, getting lost, or backtracking across town because of a routing mix-up. Telematics helps dispatchers and fleet managers make smarter decisions in real time, which means better routes, fewer unnecessary miles, and less time wasted.

For drivers, that can mean:

• Getting home on time instead of running late because of a poorly planned schedule
• Fewer check-in calls from the office asking where you are
• Faster response if you have a breakdown or need support

Take a Step Back

While there are certainly some bad actors out there, most employers are trying to do the right thing by their employees, particularly in an environment where commercial drivers are in high demand and can easily leave if unhappy. So, it can be helpful to understand your employer’s perspective as well.

Driving within the confines of the law is a reasonable request. With this expected standard for businesses, a company faces significant reputational damage if one of its employees was at fault in an accident and operating dangerously.

As mentioned above, attorneys like to go after businesses as they tend to carry higher insurance limits than individuals. This is a very expensive problem that has effects beyond the payout in a verdict. According to the American Transportation Research Institute, the average verdict in cases against commercial operators has now grown to more than $3 million. The more that your employer must pay for insurance and claims, the less they have available for higher wages and other things that matter to you. On the flip side, well-run safety programs increase profits, again creating more room for the things you care about.

Ask the Important Questions

Properly-run safety and telematics programs create more benefits than drawbacks for you in your professional role. Your employer should make these clear to you and inform you of the key aspects and expectations of the program. If this does not happen at your workplace, you are well in bounds to ask reasonable questions, such as:

• What will be recorded and retained?
• Who will have access to the information?
• How often will it be reviewed?
• How might it be used to assess your performance?
• Whether it will have a bearing on compensation or other benefits?

How Good Am I?

If you are already a safe driver, this is no sweat for you! A solid safety program gives you the opportunity to show how good you really are and get the credit you deserve.

At the end of the day, a well-run safety program is not about catching you doing something wrong. It protects you on the road, strengthens your defense if something goes wrong, and keeps more money in your pocket. That is a program worth buying into.