So says Will Murray of Interactive Driving Systems, who is urging fleets to look at road risk strategies that encompass the whole company to drive incremental improvements in safety.
Murray points to a recent studythat show the effects of managing the behaviour of both drivers and the organisation as a whole. The study is based on driver insurance claims from a large UK company, which operates a fleet of approximately 34,000 vehicles and has made significant progress in applying a range of strategies to enhance driver safety over a 10-year period.
The research says that random events that drivers encounter must be taken into account when understanding collision risk. Whilst factors such as speed camera location and training schemes have historically been included, the impact of managers on driver outcomes has been less well investigated particularly when based on motor insurance claims data.
The paper summarises that managers have an influence on claim risk only surpassed by mileage for car drivers and by age for van drivers.
Commenting on the findings, Murray said: ‘The research shows that there is a direct influence from managers on fleet vehicle collisions. Fleets should review their road risk procedures across the organisation, rather than just on a driver level, to ensure that road safety is being driven from the top down. Management engagement, and leadership based on an appropriate mix of communication, competence, compliance and consequences is vital for cost-effective fleet safety.’
