Great West Casualty Company Blog

Every truck driver has a pattern to the way he or she drives. These patterns, or habits, can be good or bad, or more precisely, safe or unsafe. A driver who integrates safety into all of his or her driving decisions, regardless of the environment, has established a pattern of behavior that reduces the risk of a crash. On the flipside, pattern driving refers to practicing unsafe behaviors, such as speeding and tailgating. Pattern driving also can occur when a driver gets too comfortable with his or her route or routines and lets his or her guard down. This type of pattern driving is common when drivers run dedicated routes to the same customers day after day and become complacent. In this case, complacency becomes a distraction, and the driver loses focus of his or her surroundings and the potential hazards that could lead to a crash. Read the list of driving patterns below and ask yourself if there are actions you can take to improve your driving skills.

One core mission of trucking industry professionals is to reduce crashes. In order to properly identify and reduce accidents, safety professionals need to try to understand why they occur. With any crash there can be a variety of contributory root causes, including equipment-related issues, environmental conditions, other motorists' actions, etc. However, there is one common denominator with all crashes - the involved driver. Estimates vary, but some suggest that more than 90 percent of root causes of crashes can be traced back to the driver. 

Distracted driving is any activity (including fatigue and illness) that diverts your attention away from driving. Drivers must devote their full attention to driving. Any non-driving activity is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing. Read the information below on the types of distractions and defense techniques, then ask yourself if there are ways you can improve.

  WHAT IS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS? Situational awareness involves your ability to assess what is happening around you and determine if there is a threat your health and safety or to the health and safety of others. For truck drivers, being aware of your surroundings while driving on the road, at a customer facility, or in a parking lot is critical to avoiding preventable losses of personnel, property, and equipment.

With the advent of more and more technologies competing for our attention, it is becoming more difficult for humans to sift through a swarm of distractions and focus on those items that are worth paying attention to. For motor carriers, whose survival hinges on preventing crashes, driver distractions and inattention are not new. They are old enemies. Preaching to drivers to pay attention and focus on the road ahead is nothing new, yet preventable crashes still occur, leaving a motor carrier’s management team members scratching their heads in frustration. One solution, and arguably the solution to the distracted driving problem, is simple mindfulness.

Distractions are a high-risk exposure that motor carriers cannot overlook. Incidents like a distracted employee slipping in the shop or losing focus while driving and hitting another vehicle can have a lasting, negative impact on your company’s bottom line.

Lane change crashes may be prevented if drivers recognize the hazards that increase the likelihood of a lane change crash and take defensive measures to avoid a loss. Read the information below and ask yourself if there are actions you can take to improve your driving skills and reduce the risk of a lane change crash.

Preventing large truck crashes has been and always will be a topic of discussion motor carriers have with their drivers. Large truck crashes cost the transportation industry approximately $135 billion annually, according to a study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Rear-end crashes, in particular, have a high risk of causing catastrophic losses. The FMCSA’s study identified four driver-related factors associated with large truck crashes; these can also be factors in rear-end crashes. Read about each factor below and discuss them with your drivers to help re-emphasize your commitment to preventing rear-end crashes.

Hitting stationary objects are preventable crashes. The key to preventing such accidents is to recognize the hazards that can lead to a collision with a stationary object and take appropriate defensive measures. Read the information below and ask yourself if there are actions you can take to improve your driving skills and reduce the risk of hitting a stationary object.

Fault and preventability are two terms motor carriers often confuse. The process of determining who was at fault in a collision is typically based on applicable motor vehicle laws and the actions of both drivers. Evidence will be collected and witness statements are taken so that fault can be determined, either by law enforcement or in a legal proceeding. Preventability, on the other hand, has a completely different meaning. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), “a preventable collision is a collision in which the driver failed to do everything reasonable to avoid it.” So, even if a truck driver is not cited for being at fault for an accident, the motor carrier could still deem the collision preventable.