The CEI Group, Inc. (CEI) added a new online fleet driver safety training lesson, “Maintaining Your Personal Safety,” to its DriverCare application. Its focus is on how drivers can avoid and protect themselves from criminal attacks both on the road and as pedestrians after they arrive at their destinations outside the office.

The module covers four safety topics:

• Awareness of the driver’s surroundings when out of the vehicle;

• Keeping valuables out of sight

• How to avoid being a victim

• How to respond to a confrontation.

Among the tips the lesson offers are:

• If you’re visiting a potentially unsafe area, program your phone with the local police number, let co-workers know where you’re going and when you’re scheduled to leave.

• Plan to visit risky areas in daylight, and park as close as possible to the building.

• On foot, avoid distractions like talking on your phone or listening to music.

• Never leave your keys in your car and doors unlocked when stopping a service station or store.

• Don’t leave valuables visible inside your vehicle.

The seven-minute module includes a quiz drivers must complete to receive credit for the lesson.

“We’ve created this module because we recognize that fleet drivers’ safety involves more than just traffic hazards,” says Brian Kinniry, CEI’s Senior Director of DriverCare Safety Services. “It involves all the conditions they face in their extended workplace.”