If your affiliate has employees or volunteers drive on behalf of affiliate business, whether using affiliate-owned vehicles or their own, it is important to implement safety policies and procedures.

Creating a safe driving program for your affiliate’s vehicles and drivers can reduce workplace injuries and workers’ compensation claims, protect your affiliate’s property and financial assets and reduce the risk of a liability lawsuit.

Common elements included in safe driving programs are often driver safety, parking regulations, written procedures for daily operations and usage of vehicles outside of business hours, protocols for driver identification and screening, training, managing drivers, planning for vehicle maintenance, handling accidents and more.

These policies and procedures are important because a robust safe driving program for affiliates can help:

  • Improve safety standards
  • Lower accident rates, keeping more vehicles utilized
  • Increase employee satisfaction
  • Reduce employee downtime due to accidents
  • Lower insurance costs

Read on to implement your safe driving program today.

Creating a Safe Driving Program for Affiliates — Planning

Involve all stakeholders in planning

Successful safe driving programs involve both affiliate management and employee and volunteer drivers in the planning phase. Participation by stakeholders at all levels ensures everyone is on the same page.

Document policies and procedures

Document in writing the purpose and goals of your safety program. Commit to reducing traffic accidents and injuries by taking specific steps and implementing policies about seat belts, alcohol/drugs, distracted driving and so on.

Design a system for enforcing policies and procedures

Determine how to handle enforcement of the safety program’s policies and procedures, including policy violations that will lead to specific disciplinary actions or corrective measures.

Ensure rules and regulations compliance

Compliance with all laws, rules and regulations is also key. Make sure your safe driving program meets employer, industry and government highway standards. See OSHA guidelines for more information about creating safe driving programs.

Launch training for the program

When it is time to launch the program, ensure that employees and volunteers receive the proper training. Focus on safe driving training, following company policies and procedures and understanding of your expectations and goals.

Plan for routine and proactive maintenance

Safety starts with proactive vehicle maintenance. Ensure your affiliate vehicles are always in good working order by monitoring and tracking maintenance needs.

 

Creating a Safe Driving Program for Affiliates — Drivers

Conduct driver screening and record checks

Screen any employees who will be driving affiliate vehicles or driving their own vehicle on behalf of your affiliate to reduce your initial risk. Poor driving records with DUIs, aggressive driving and other problems should be screened out. Continue to check driving records periodically.

Consider implementing telematics

Telematics can provide data that can be used to analyze drivers’ behavior and routes, making it possible to come up with strategies to reduce the use of fuel and avoid downtime. They can also save maintenance costs by calling attention to sharp braking and turning, fast accelerations and generally rough driving.

Require driver agreements

Have employees and volunteers who will be driving for your affiliate sign an agreement committing to safe driving. An agreement can help set expectations, increase awareness and positively influence behavior.

Offer safe driving rewards and incentives

You can improve safety and your organizational culture by implementing rewards and incentives for employees and volunteers who are safe drivers. Recognition, prizes and special privileges are common rewards for reaching safety goals.

 

Creating a Safe Driving Program for Affiliates — Reevaluate

Report and investigate traffic incidents

With a goal of eliminating preventable accidents, the safety program needs to study accidents that do occur. Require drivers to report all incidents. Have a process for determining how similar accidents can be prevented in the future. This can be a learning opportunity for the driver involved and other employees, volunteers and managers.

Examine the program regularly

Ensure the policies and procedures outlined in your affiliate’s safe driving program continue to meet the needs of your organization.

 

Reduce Risk and Protect Your Affiliate by Creating a Safe Driving Program

When creating a safe driving program, it’s also important to be compliant with the terms of your insurance policies and that you have adequate coverage.

Your affiliate can be held liable for any accidents or incidents involving your drivers, vehicles you own and potentially even those vehicles you don’t own. A key factor in claims is often negligence screening, training or monitoring drivers — hence the importance of a good safe driving program. Be sure to also review the Driver Safety Toolkit and other safety resources developed by HFHI on the MyHabitat website.

Commercial Auto Insurance coverage from Lockton Affinity can help you protect your organization from legal fees and damages when your fleet vehicles are involved in a crash. If you need auto coverage, have your auto coverage placed elsewhere or have questions, call Lockton Affinity at (888) 553-9002 to learn more.