Each year industry statistics are published listing the most common risky behaviors. This information often becomes a directional focal point for fleet safety efforts by fleet operators, as well as other organizations with a stake in reducing traffic collisions. Most of this data is drawn from accident reports, witness statements and law enforcement analysis. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the particular perspective that was provided, these viewpoints are often incomplete and commonly skewed.... Read More

Have you ever had someone cut you off in traffic? Or maybe jammed on their brakes in front of you for no apparent reason? Even though there are almost 20 million vehicle crashes each year, it amazes me there aren't even more than that. It's crazy out there and it can really get frustrating.... Read More

You may be surprised to learn that more vehicle incidents occur, per mile driven, in parking lots than on public roadways. Often, these are low speed incidents involving backing or impact with fixed objects. The repair cost is typically relatively low and the events often go unreported, but the frequency is high. Parking lot and parking related collisions may represent twenty-five to fifty percent of a fleet's collision total.... Read More

Many companies encourage their employees to report any “near misses” they experience while driving. I hate the phrase “near miss”. Doesn't “near miss” mean they almost missed and therefore did hit? For that reason, I'm going to use “near collision” instead of “near miss”. By getting employees to report close calls, the belief is that identification and discussion of these incidents can help to improve driving performance and reduce future collision potential.... Read More

Everywhere around us there are new words being used to describe something. For example, for those of you who watched the NBA playoffs you'll note they refer to really tall players as "having length". That's what we used to call being tall. The Internet is riddled with newly created words such as "blogosphere" and "twittering". In gaming, if one kid lost to another, he just got "poned".... Read More

I've been working at changing driver behavior for almost 30 years - both seasoned drivers with more than a million miles under their belts and those fresh out of trucking school in their first few weeks of commercial driving.

Through this experience (including presenting thousands of on-road training sessions), I've seen drivers make every mistake you can imagine, regardless of experience or attitude.... Read More

Generally speaking, experience is a good thing. However, in driving it can be a two-edged sword. Sure, experience is essential when it comes to successfully maneuvering a truck or overcoming challenging driving situations. Unfortunately, experience can also be a hindrance because it can lead to complacency.... Read More

I've been in fleet safety for almost 30 years. During that time I've ridden along with thousands of truck drivers, teaching them how to use advanced driving skills to stay safer behind the wheel.

As large trucks are heavy and take a considerable distance to stop, it is critical that professional drivers see problems very early so they can respond smoothly and safely. When I mention this to truck drivers during training they usually roll their eyes and respond, "of course, that's what I do." Some even point out that because they sit higher, they can see over the vehicles out front, therefore, be looking far ahead. Unfortunately, just because drivers have the ability to see farther ahead, doesn't insure they will. In fact, my ride along experiences tell me that one of the most common shortcomings with truck drivers is that they aren't looking as far ahead as they should. ... Read More

At DriveCam we review thousands of risky driving incidents every day. Many of these incidents are near collisions and often, only luck separates these incidents from being a crash. Recently, I was reviewing video clips of several near collisions at a client's request to see how many were unavoidable and could merit positive recognition for the driver. There were some, but there were also many where the driver inadvertently placed himself in a situation that increased the potential of a close call. By examining DriveCam's database of more than 15 million driving events, we know that drivers with an avoidable near collision are...... Read More

Each year, rear-end collisions account for nearly 30 percent of all U.S. traffic collisions. Almost every one of these two million collisions is a combination of poor awareness and inadequate spacing.

Awareness can improve, but as long as a human is controlling the vehicle, lack of attention will remain an issue. ... Read More