Countermeasures to reduce vehicle crashes

According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.

Common causes of driver inattention that lead to accidents include:

• Dialing, talking, or listening on a cell phone (the leading distraction).
• Reaching for a moving object.
• Looking away from the forward roadway, even if for only a brief time.
• Drowsiness, which increases the risk of a crash by at least a factor of four.

Your organization can help reduce the risk of accidents by:

• Establishing clear, comprehensive, and enforceable safe driving policies and holding employees accountable.
• Asking employees to sign an agreement that acknowledges their understanding of policies regarding driver performance, vehicle maintenance, and reporting of moving violations.
• Creating a safe driving culture by posting policies throughout your building, distributing copies periodically, and discussing at staff meetings.
• Offering incentives for sticking to the rules and pointing out the consequences of disregarding them.
• Actively encouraging employee involvement at all levels.
• Periodically testing drivers to validate safe driving practices.
• Obtaining Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs) and criminal background checks on all drivers.
• Prohibiting cell phone use when operating a vehicle. If the phone must be used, require the driver to stop the vehicle.
• Adding additional adult supervision when transporting children.
• Reviewing all crashes to determine the cause and future preventive measures.

In addition to the above policies, address the following points with drivers:

• Control speed by driving 5 mph below the speed limit.
• Reinforce a zero tolerance for speeding violations.
• Avoid the far right and left lanes except when preparing to turn; drive in the center lane as much as possible.
• Always maintain the appropriate following distance for the weight and size of the vehicle. Three to four seconds behind the next vehicle is recommended.
• Assume other drivers will make errors.
• Scan ahead to be ready to adjust speed, position, direction, and attention to maneuver safely if a hazard develops.
• Look frequently to the side and rear for passing or approaching vehicles before changing speed, lanes, or direction.

Read more about this study and other safe driving information at nhtsa.gov.