Be Safe Out There

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September 18, 2009

Lately, issues of vehicle and driver safety have been prevalent among the topics crossing our editorial desks here at Automotive Fleet.

The September AF issue cover story warned of the dangers of texting while driving, a growing safety hazard on U.S. roads. Those very real dangers were quantified in recent Virginia Technology Transportation Institute research. State governors and the federal government are joining forces in advocating for and enforcing bans on texting while driving.

The U.S Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, is gathering a summit of government, safety, and business leaders later this month to tackle the problem of distracted driving.

The annual NETS (Network of Employers for Traffic Safety) Drive Safe Work Week is coming up soon, Oct. 5-9.

AF's October issue will feature a Safety Supplement describing several commercial fleet efforts in reducing the risk of harm to their drivers, their companies, and the rest of us those company drivers may meet on the road. This special annual issue will offer one industry person's answer to the question, "What is the Cost of the Accident that Doesn't Happen?" - making the case that expenditures on programs and tools to prevent accidents most often save in the long run through avoiding the hard and soft costs of accidents, vehicle repair, personal injury, and corporate liability.

Safety is not only good for the body, but also the corporate bottom line.

In that light, the collective Bobit Business Media's fleet publications are holding a free, three-part Webinar series on fleet safety, beginning next Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The first of the one-hour sessions, sponsored by Driver's Alert, focuses on preventing and predicting at-fault crashes and identifying the 5 percent of drivers in every fleet who present a high risk of being involved in or causing accidents..

Session two, scheduled Oct. 13, will explore the danger of distracted drivers in a discussion with a National Safety Council expert and two fleet managers at the forefront in addressing this mounting safety risk. Sponsored by CEI's DriverCare Risk & Safety Services, topics will include the science of distracted driving, programs to raise drivers' awareness, legislative initiatives, and emerging technologies.

Vehicle braking systems and their impact on safety are highlighted in last of these fleet safety Webinars, scheduled Nov. 10 and titled, "Are you Helping to Keep Your Drivers Safe? How Good Are Your Brakes?" Sponsored by Midas, the session promises to help participants identify potential brake issues and learn what's new in braking systems and how they work and how they affect, and are affected by, other vehicle systems.

Click here to sign up for these one-hour interactive Webinars.

Safety measures are a lot like dieting - without consistent and disciplined efforts to maintain safe drivers and safe fleets, the expense side of corporate budgets will fatten with the consequences of preventable crashes in lost productivity, repair costs, and corporate liability. And that doesn't even approach the "expense" of life and limb - of your own employees and the rest of us on the road and streets.