Supply Chain Safety: Protecting Your Workforce from Distracted Driving Accidents!

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Distracted driving is a huge problem that puts everyone on the road at risk. For companies with supply chain operations that rely on professional drivers, it’s crucial to take steps to keep employees safe and prevent accidents caused by distractions behind the wheel.

Here are tips on policies, training, and technology that can protect drivers as they carry out their duties.

Why Distracted Driving is a Major Concern

Simply put, distractions take a driver’s attention and eyes off the road, slowing their reaction time to prevent crashes.

Some big distracted driving risks include:

Cell phone use – Talking or texting on a phone is a top distraction. Reaching for a ringing phone also causes issues.
Eating/drinking – Trying to snack or sip a drink takes focus away from driving.
Noisy passengers – Rowdy or loud passengers can be extremely distracting.
In-vehicle electronics – Infotainment systems and GPS can divert attention.
Fatigued driving – Driving without proper rest makes you less attentive.

Various studies have found that distracted driving increases crash risk substantially. For companies moving goods and materials on the road, crashes can severely impact delivery reliability and employee wellbeing.

So for supply chain managers, reducing distracted driving through policies and education simply makes sense. Fewer distractions equal fewer accidents and injuries, as well as better efficiency.

Start with Clear Policies Against Distracted Driving

The first major step to prevent distracted driving problems is setting clear company policies. Written policies help employees understand expectations and consequences if rules are broken.

At a minimum, policies should cover:

Bans on texting/calling – Make it 100% clear that texting or calling without hands-free systems while driving is prohibited. Stress it is never OK to text or dial numbers while behind the wheel.
Limits on eating/personal grooming – Ban eating full meals and discourage snacks, drinks, or personal grooming like brushing hair or shaving. These all require taking hands off the wheel or eyes off the road.
Electronics guidelines – Don’t allow programming navigation devices or browsing music libraries while driving. Perhaps limit or ban the use of tablets and laptops.
Passenger rules – Make policies about loud or disruptive passengers that could distract the driver. Consider banning non-employee passengers.
Drowsy driving rules – Include mandates for regular breaks and rest times. Make it clear driving extremely tired is unacceptable.

In the policies, outline consequences for violations like suspensions or firing for repeated issues. Make sure to also highlight incentives for stellar driving records without distractions.

Educate Employees on the Dangers of Distracted Driving

Along with clear written policies, ongoing education helps cement smart driving behaviors. Many employees simply don’t realize how dangerous distracted driving can be.

They may also not appreciate the legal consequences of things going wrong – such as the financial and legal burden that results when a person injured in a car accident by a distracted driver seeks justice through the legal system.

Use these methods to get the message across:

Share crash data – Stats on distracted driving deaths, injuries, and costs hammer home why it’s so critical. Put up posters with facts in break areas.
Show videos – Compelling videos demonstrating distracted driving dangers help issues click emotionally. Many excellent distracted driving PSA videos exist online.
Bring in speakers – People injured or who lost loved ones in texting/calling crashes tell powerful stories. Their talks stick with employees.
Use driving simulators – Hands-on simulators let employees experience distractions while driving virtually. It’s eye-opening.
Highlight incentives – Keep communicating bonuses and perks for employees who maintain stellar distraction-free records.

Ongoing education paired with strong policies sets the norm that distracted driving is unacceptable and dangerous. This culture shift helps all employees make smart choices behind the wheel.

Implement Driver Monitoring and Alert Technology

Technology solutions provide another useful layer of protection against distracted driving. Solutions fall into two main categories:

Driver monitoring systems use interior cameras to watch the driver and what they are doing. Some options detect phone use, smoking, passenger interactions, and even yawning or eye positioning indicating fatigue. These systems send real-time alerts to help drivers correct dangerous behaviors before a crash.
Automatic crash avoidance technology takes control of brakes or steering if it detects an imminent collision, even if the driver is distracted. This tech acts as a last line of defense to prevent an accident.

Installing monitoring/alert systems or automatic emergency braking technology can help prevent accidents. However, this undertaking can be a major investment. But the cost pales in comparison to lawsuit settlements and productivity losses crashes bring. For very safety-conscious companies, this technology is well worth budgeting.

Enforce Mandatory Breaks and Fatigue Rules

While technology helps, nothing beats having well-rested drivers free from fatigue. Drowsy drivers make just as many errors as intoxicated ones.

To keep employees sharp and attentive:

Enforce mandatory breaks – Require drivers to stop and take 15-30 minute breaks every few hours. This allows them to briefly rest, snack, and “reset”.
Set limits on driving hours – Don’t allow schedules with endless hours on the road without lengthy rest periods. Stick to reasonable limits that align with regulations.
Provide overtime pay – Pay 1.5x rates for hours past 8 hours in a work day or 40 in a week. This disincentivizes overworking employees into fatigue.
Encourage overnight stays – For long hauls, pay for overnight lodging so drivers aren’t pushing through all hours of the night.

Well-managed schedules and plenty of breaks let employees complete journeys without mental exhaustion leading to errors. Make this a top priority for supply chain safety.

Implement Ongoing Driver Safety Training

Classroom or online training teaches employees optimal practices:

Secure items – Avoid loose objects flying around the cab during hard braking.
Adjust controls/mirrors – Set everything needed while stopped, not on the move.
Limit passengers – Fewer passengers equals fewer distractions.
Avoid aggressive driving – Tailgating or speeding severely cuts reaction time if something goes wrong.
Stay alert – Notice early warning signs of fatigue or hazardous road conditions.

Refresh training every 6-12 months. Ensure new hires complete training before solo drives.

Perform Regular Audits and Checks

On top of policies and education, regular audits and spot checks identify areas for safety improvement.

Examining vehicle inspection reports – Look for any vehicle deficiencies that could cause distractions like faulty wipers or lights.
Confirming hours of service logs – Check that drivers aren’t exceeding limits and have required breaks/rest periods.
Directly observing driving – Ride along with drivers or use telematics data to pinpoint improvement areas related to distractions.
Monitoring crash reports – Identify common distracted driving factors in collisions to strengthen training.
Inspecting equipment – Ensure in-vehicle electronics and hardware meet safety standards and don’t create unnecessary distractions.

Make these audits and inspections regular processes rather than one-off efforts. This allows you to continually refine policies and training for better driving safety.

Recognize Safe Driving Records

Finally, once strong policies, education, and technologies are in place, it’s important to recognize employees who sustain focus and make safe choices:

Highlight safety leaders – Call out individuals with long histories of distraction-free driving in company newsletters or meetings. They set the example.
Offer prizes – Gift cards, merch, and other prizes, even modest ones, provide small incentives to keep focus strong.
Celebrate milestones – Commemorate significant safe driving milestones like 1 year or 100,000 miles crash-free.
Provide bonuses – Monetary bonuses for meeting safety goals get everyone working towards higher diligence.

Positive reinforcement goes a long way to encourage drivers to take distraction policies seriously day after day.

What Leaders Can Do to Promote Safe Driving Culture

For managers, the right workplace culture is crucial to keep everyone vigilant about minimizing distractions. These strategies help ingrain safety-first values:

Lead by example – Never make calls or otherwise get distracted when doing site visits or other driving. Model ideal behavior.
Never pressure rushed timelines – Ensure schedules have padding so drivers never feel pressured to call/text and drive dangerously fast.
Add safety to agendas – Keep safety talking points on all staff meeting agendas instead of letting it fall by the wayside.
Welcome feedback – Listen to reports about possible safety gaps from drivers without getting defensive. Then work collaboratively to address concerns.
Respect work/life balance – Make sure drivers don’t work excessive hours and have adequate time for rest, health, and family. This helps them stay focused on the site.

With engaged leadership emphasizing safety intrinsically, employees will take rules seriously and look out for one another’s well-being on the road.

In Conclusion

Distracted driving poses severe risks for supply chain operations reliant on moving goods safely via professional drivers. It usually takes ongoing diligence through corporate policies, driver education, technologies, training, and auditing to ensure attention stays on the road.

But with robust culture shifts and leadership engagement, companies can successfully eliminate many dangerous distractions for their workers behind the wheel.

The payoffs are immense—preventing lost lives and injuries as well as expensive lawsuits or insurance claims. So put in the effort to create major long-term changes that make safety a top priority.

Employees will be grateful for workplaces’ focus on their well-being while driving. And companies will certainly appreciate fewer costly crashes disrupting supply chain productivity.