At Arval UK, we have been giving some thought to how this applies to our activities helping fleets improve their safety records, protecting lives and reducing costs. These activities are in conjunction with our global commitment to influence and act for driver safety.
At Arval UK, we talk a lot about making better driving decisions and speed is certainly an important element in this. Our view is that managing road risk should be broken down into three elements – guidance, information and education.
Firstly for fleets, guidance is very much about telling drivers what is expected of them in terms of on-road behaviour, and this is usually codified in a fleet policy that should be issued to everyone who drives on company business.
The second step is information, by which we mean gathering data about how employees are actually driving. This comes from a variety of sources such as telematics data, reviewing the circumstances around a crash, examining dash cam footage and monitoring fines, as well as looking at elements such as the speed of tyre wear which might indicate an aggressive driving style.
Finally, having gathered this data in order to build a profile about each driver and the fleet as a whole, the next step is appropriate education, whether that is a companywide initiative to highlight a general issue or driver training targeted at particular at-risk groups or specific individuals, as needed.
The speed limit is not a target – employees should ensure that they are driving appropriately for the road conditions.
Speed plays an element in all of these steps. For example, your fleet policy probably makes it clear that drivers are expected to stick to the speed limit but, in our view, it should also aim to help them make independent, informed judgments. The speed limit is not a target and employees should be educated to ensure that they are always driving appropriately depending on the conditions and location.
The information phase is also crucial when it comes to speed. Persistent speeding is a good indicator of a driver who is likely to become involved in a crash in the future, as is a driver with telematics data that shows harsh braking or cornering too quickly. Again, it is all about making better decisions.
Finally, speed should be part of driver education, with drivers who persistently break the limit or drive too quickly for the conditions being taught about the implications of speed when it comes to avoiding collisions. Arriving late is always better than not arriving at all.
To find out more about Road Safety Week and sign up to take part, click here.
About Arval UK
Arval UK is proud to have been supporting Road Safety Week for more than 15 years, most recently acting as a headline sponsor for the past three years.
Arval is also supporting Road Safety Week with the launch of three new videos, showing real world examples of poor on-road decision making – ranging from the marginal to the dramatic. They’re taken from footage shared with our Arval Total Care team, where we manage servicing, maintenance, repair and insurance for the company lease vehicle, which is where the footage is pertinent. It’s been anonymised and is designed to prompt discussion about what could’ve been done differently. Our view is that sharing fleet experiences in this way is one of the most effective ways of encouraging dialogue about safety, and we’re hoping to make more available in the near future.
Follow Arval BNP Paribas Group on LinkedIn to see the road safety videos. Click here to find out more about how to keep your fleet safe with Arval.
Ian Pearson
Ian Pearson is Head of insurance at Arval UK.