Companies fail to follow through on safe driving checks: Report

Eighty percent of companies that manage automotive fleets claim driver safety is a top priority, yet 70% do not monitor drivers and 59% do not have a safety program in place, according to research released Tuesday. 

The hurdles to improving driver safety include lack of leadership buy-in and the failure to transform employee culture, according to SambaSafety, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based company that provides background screening and driver safety records for employers. The company published its findings in a white paper, “Creating a safety culture: Moving from politics to habits.” 

“Creating a safety culture requires leadership to model the behaviors that all employees should adopt,” the paper states. “Thoughtful engagement of direct supervisors is particularly important. A sales manager who reprimands an employee for missing a call while driving, for example, sends a confusing — and uncaring — message. A field service manager who assigns a territory that’s too big to cover while going the speed limit does the same thing.”

The paper also highlights the importance of data collection in enhancing safety.

“The right data can help employers accurately reward those who are doing well, too, and securely keep up with disciplinary actions toward those who are missing the mark,” the paper states. “Clean, concise, relevant numbers help ensure drivers are measured fairly against the policy, and that new employees are screened.”