Fleet Driver Safety

The wellbeing of employees should be a top priority for all businesses, however if you are managing a fleet of vans and your employees are required to drive as part of the job, ensuring the safety of your workers is crucial. Driving a van comes with many risks to not only the vehicle itself but also to the driver and others on the road. In this blog, Insure My Van highlights the ways in which you can improve fleet driver safety. Some of our suggestions will not only reduce the risk of accidents occurring but it can also help reduce your fleet insurance premium.  

Remove distractions when on the road 

There are various things you need to watch out for on the road and It’s easy to become distracted, especially if you have been driving for a long duration. However, this is one of the main causes of accidents on the road. Distractions can be anything from loud music to mobile phones or even to eating food, the list goes on. While some things are out of our control, there are many distractions we can avoid. It’s important to highlight that most distractions that we encounter are against the law. For example, if you are using your mobile phone while driving, you are breaking the law. Similarly, if your windscreen is dirty and your vision is obstructed whilst driving, you are also said to be committing an illegal offense. It is important that your fleet drivers are aware of all distractions that are illegal, and they are aware of what is expected whilst driving a company van. This information should be provided in your fleet safety policy. If your drivers are not informed of this information, they might think that using a mobile phone while driving is acceptable, however they could risk receiving points on their license and a fine.  

Provide training to fleet drivers 

Employers should provide regular training sessions to all fleet drivers. Training sessions would provide drivers with a good understanding of what safe driving means in practice and it would also provide awareness about the risks that could result from careless driving. It is important to cover as many areas as possible within the training sessions. Some topics that Insure My Van recommend covering would include:  

• How to reduce distractions  
• How to keep to the speed limit  
• How to keep your vehicle in good condition 
• How to drive with different loads 
• How to drive in difficult conditions 

Provide regular van maintenance  

Employers should ensure that all vans are in a suitable condition to be on the road. Therefore, it is important that vehicles are booked in for regular service checks to assess the overall health of the vehicle. Fleet drivers should be trained to check the oil levels and tyre pressure of their van daily.  

Check for a clean driving license

As a Fleet manager, you want to make sure that the drivers you hire are well experienced on the road. It is recommended to carry out background checks on potential fleet drivers to ensure they hold a clean driving license with no penalty points. Hiring someone to get behind a wheel is a big responsibility; therefore, you want to make sure the employees you hire are safe and responsible drivers.  

At Insure My Van, we value safe driving. Safe driving can not only reduce your insurance costs, but it can also protect fleet drivers or members of the public from dangerous situations. It is of high importance to invest time and money into improving fleet driver safety.  

For more information about fleet insurance in Ireland or for a fleet insurance quote, please get in contact with a member of the Insure My Van team today by calling (01) 660 6900.