Automotive Fleet, June 2019

FLEET SAFETY Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS reported in April 2019 that rising speed limits over the past 25 years have cost nearly 37000 lives with more than 1900 in 2017 alone The study also reported 41 states have maximum speed limits of 70 mph or higher Six states have 80 mph limits and drivers in Texas can legally drive 85 mph on some roads Samuelson has also implemented the speed cap in vehicles with regards to backing speed despite backing speeds generally being low We still monitor speeds at all levels were just as concerned about the driver who is going 40 mph through a 25 mph zone said Samuelson Having a cap on their top speed does limit drivers but a majority of violations for speeding usually come in lower speed bands This accident type typically occurs in parking lots and continues to be a top accident description for fleet vehicles Most recently Automotive Fleet reported that nearly 10 of accidents were related to parking backing Meanwhile according to the National Safety Council more than 50000 collisions occur in parking lots and garage structures annually resulting in 500 or more fatalities and over 60000 injuries Its not always a high cost because its usually at lowers speeds but its 110 avoidable said Samuelson All the vehicles that weve acquired in the last three years have back up cameras and weve implemented back up alarms as well but we still have backing accidents VEHICLE SAFETY TECH But its not just how the vehicles that are being tracked that helps create the robust safety culture Its the vehicles themselves or rather the safety capabilities that keep them safe This has become increasingly standardized for newer model year vehicles even on base trim models For example backup cameras are now standard on all new cars available in the U S That is something that we consider each year when updating our vehicle selectors adding technologies to vehicles that will make our drivers safer and not increase their distractions by using that technology while driving is the key said the anonymous fleet manager Similarly for 2019 Orth of General Mills emphasized the safety capabilities of vehicles on their selectors as being a major proponent to keeping his fleet safe For our new 2019 vehicles we added seven more standard safety features to our vehicles such as low speed forward automatic braking front pedestrian braking lane keep assist with lane departure warning and lane change alert he said This type of technology is designed to assist the driver with their own behaviors but also protect the driver from the driving behaviors of others But the technological advancements of vehicles can act as a double edged sword while safety technologies can help the driver updated vehicle interfaces and infotainment systems create potential distraction situations The vehicles are safer but theyre also more complex said Samuelson of USIC A study from AAA Foundation and the University of Utah that measures cognitive and visual demands of infotainment systems suggests that they are not proven safe to use when operating a motor vehicle Most vehicles now allow seamless interaction between personal devices and the vehicles said the anonymous fleet manager We want to keep phones out of peoples hands and their eyes on the road while they are driving HOW SAFE DRIVING PRACTICES APPLY ELSEWHERE Effective road safety practices not only keep drivers safe but can help find benefits in other areas of the fleet operationally For example improving driver safety will also have an impact on reducing fuel spend this includes curbing aggressive driving tendencies Aggressive driving speeding rapid acceleration and braking wastes gas according to the U S Department of Energy It can lower your gas mileage by roughly 15 to 30 at highway speeds and 10 to 40 in stop and go traffic Also curbing poor driving practices helps to keep the vehicles themselves safe damaged vehicles equate to unwanted downtime and may decrease employee and asset productivity This will ultimately impact the corporate bottom line On the opposite end as a way to boost fleet productivity while also encouraging safety the USIC fleet implemented a gamification program to help curb potential road risks Drivers are divided into teams and ranked based on how safe their group of drivers is They are rewarded if the entire team is able to avoid infractions or accidents This is done during summer the companys busiest season and has been found as a successful way to curb risky driving he said DISTRACTED WORKERS PEDESTRIANS Another rising concern is pedestrian road fatalities An estimated 6227 pedestrians lost their lives on U S roads in 2018 a 4 increase over the 5977 deaths in 2017 and the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in nearly three decades according to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association But this isnt just an issue with the pedestrians fleet drivers have to watch out for they can be part of the problem too Samuelson said that pedestrian safety is a huge concern for his company This kind of safety practice not only applies in terms of preventing our team getting hit by oncoming vehicles but so that they dont cause the accident by walking out into the street It goes both ways he said This issue can be especially problematic for USIC and the construction industry as whole Indeed The Center for Construction Research in training reported in Q4 2018 that the number of fatalities among all construction workers climbed to 1034 in 2016 49 more deaths or 5 higher than in 2015 and a 32 increase since 2011 which has outplaced employment growth during the same period AF AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I JUNE 2019 14 Distracted driving is a major contributor to the high number of road fatalities The prevention of this behavior is elemental to any sound fleet safety policy PHOTO GETTYIMAGES COM OZGURDONMAZ