You and your vehicle's condition determine your safety on the road. Proper vehicle maintenance is frequently overlooked as a safety precaution. Worn tires, low-pressure tires, dirty wiper blades, and dirty lights affect safety.

The objective of defensive driving is for drivers to constantly be on the lookout for potential hazards, changes in driving conditions, and changes in traffic patterns. This will reduce the risk of accidents and injuries.

Defensive Driving reduces the risk of an accident, so you needn't worry about repair costs, claim payouts, or rising insurance rates.

The following are some key defensive driving strategies and practices that you can promote to your drivers

Be aware of blind spots: 

Blind spots are areas around a vehicle that are not directly visible to the driver. According to a survey, blind spots are directly responsible for 840,000 accidents per year. 

Since drivers are most likely to have accidents when they are changing lanes, ensure that you encourage them to look over their shoulders and out the window when changing lanes. Rear-view and side mirrors aren't always effective when it comes to checking for blind spots.

Prepare for emergencies

As your drivers drive, especially over long distances, conditions can change rapidly. Encourage them to prepare for emergency situations - like bad weather conditions or breakdowns - in advance.

When drivers have snacks, first aid supplies, additional clothes, and blankets with them, they can comfortably surpass weather conditions that may require them to stop or wait for their vehicle to be repaired.

Keeping calm, cool, and collected is key

It can be tempting for truckers to exhibit road rage behaviors, such as tailgating and weaving between lanes, when they are cut off, honked at, or otherwise annoyed by other drivers. 

Your drivers should be encouraged to increase the distance between themselves and angry drivers as a way of de-escalating road rage situations. Drivers who allow their anger to control their driving put themselves and others at risk for accidents.

Signal at all times

While most drivers prefer to signal when exiting highways or making lane changes on longer stretches of road, it can be tempting not to do so during non-peak times.

Remind drivers that signaling is a legal requirement before changing lanes or turning, and they must still signal even if no other vehicles are in the area.

Don't rush if in doubt

When the road conditions change, such as bad weather or poor visibility, train your drivers to slow down automatically.

When drivers slow down, they have more time to react to changing conditions, such as animals running onto the highway or slippery roads after a rainstorm. In the case of an accident, slowing down can help to prevent it or reduce the severity and impact.

Investing in a GPS Tracking solution - like Falcon Trackers - can help you improve the safety and reduce costs of your fleet.

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