Trucking and Fleet SafetyEvery year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) releases their highest priority safety improvements for all modes of transportation. They develop the list by examining accidents, injuries, and lives saved. The following are the biggest changes they hope to see going forward for the trucking industry.

  1. Eliminate distracted driving. Many drivers operate under the false assumption that they can multitask while driving. Although many drivers know they shouldn’t text and drive, many overlook other distractions such as setting the GPS, fiddling with the radio, etc.
  2. Reduce accidents caused or influenced by fatigue. Many drivers don’t realize how tired they are until it’s too late. When drives are fatigued, they are less alert, have poor judgment, and their reaction time diminishes. They may even fall asleep. Experts believe this issue is more widespread than reported because there are no obvious signs of it after an incident. Adrenaline kicks in and a driver may appear fully alert after an accident caused by drowsiness.
  3. Eradicate driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When using drugs or alcohol, a driver is impaired. While the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08%, studies show accidents involving drivers with blood alcohol levels of 0.05% are much more likely to involve fatalities. This safety issue becomes more difficult considering the number of states legalizing the use of recreational marijuana. There are also no reliable drug tests at the scene of a crash like there is for testing for the presence of alcohol, adding an additional layer of difficulty to this challenge.
  4. Implement collision avoidance technology in all new trucks. Fleets already know that collision avoidance systems save lives every day. However, not every vehicle comes equipped with this life-saving technology. Even when a vehicle does come with the technology, many drivers don’t understand how it works. Proper implementation and training are required to ensure this technology works to its best ability.
  5. Develop and enforce a strategy to reduce accidents caused by speeding. The faster a truck is going, the more severe the accident and injuries will be. The likelihood of fatalities increases as well. However, despite these risks, it’s become common practice to drive well above the posted speed limit.

There is no one simple solution to fix these safety concerns. However, NTSB believes these changes can occur through a combination of educating drivers, passing new legislation, and enforcing existing laws. Fleet managers can bring attention to these issues by holding regular meetings as well as training events to improve awareness. To learn more about reducing transportation risk within your trucking company, contact the experts at DriverCheck.