Rev Up Your Driver Safety To Reduce The Risk Of Accidents

Do you follow the speed limit when you drive? You may think going a few miles over is no big deal. But speeding plays a role in nearly a third of car crash deaths. By slowing down, you could save lives.

That’s one of many ways to practice driver safety. Taking the proper precautions can reduce your risk of accidents, which happen all too frequently in Colorado.

Last year, vehicular accidents made up almost half of Pinnacol’s fatality claims. At the same time, deadly accidents in Colorado rose to the highest level in at least a decade. From 2006 to 2010, vehicles caused 39 percent of our fatal claims with injuries. The average cost of a vehicle accident claim is $23,037, or more than double our second-most-expensive claim: slips, trips and falls.

No industry is immune to accidents. The health care industry accounts for the highest number of vehicle claims, but trucking accounts for the highest number of fatalities.

Whatever your industry, embracing better driving safety protocols benefits everyone who works for you. Implement these tips to get your workers on the road to safer driving.

Conduct safety inspections on your vehicles
Use our checklist to inspect your company vehicles for safety at least once a year.

Initiate a companywide driver safety program
Follow these suggestions from NIOSH to begin. Put your policies into writing, and conduct evaluations of your current drivers.

Post on-site reminders to buckle up
In Colorado, only 81 percent of drivers and front-seat passengers wear seat belts, which is lower than the national average of 86 percent. Hang seat belt safety posters in English and/or Spanish by exits and garages reminding people to fasten their seat belts.

Encourage device-free driving
Distracted driving, from such actions as taking your eyes off the road to text, leads to an average 411,000 injuries across the country each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Urge your workers to silence their devices and cell phones or even put them in the glove compartment or trunk when they drive.

New in 2018: Sign up for StriveSafe, driver performance management technology
StriveSafe and Pinnacol have teamed up to offer Pinnacol policyholders a driver performance management solution at an exclusive, discounted price. Businesses using StriveSafe have reported up to 90 percent reduction in accidents in the first year of use, and improved operational efficiencies resulting in up to a gallon of gas savings per vehicle per day. StriveSafe helps identify and sustainably correct risky driving behaviors that pose significant risk, such as:
– Speeding.
– Hard braking.
– Rapid acceleration.
Watch a short video to see how it works.

Consult our Driver Safety Center for more ideas and resources. Questions? Contact us at safetyoncall@pinnacol.com or call us at 303.361.4700.

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