This article was reprinted from:

PMA Insurance Group
April 2008 Directions
PDF versions of Directions at:
http://www.pmagroup.com/directions.htm
 

Safety Behind the Wheel
The Right Coverage and Training Can Make All the Difference

Every day, millions of workers get behind the wheel and hit the streets in order to get their jobs done. From couriers making deliveries to office workers driving to and from meetings, we spend a lot of time on the road and often don't think twice about it.

Here's why we should. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, vehicle accidents are the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities. In 2006, the most recent year for which data are available, there were 44,000 vehicle accident-related deaths in this country. With a vehicle accident occurring every two-and-a-half seconds, that amounts to a death behind the wheel every 11 minutes and an injury every 19 seconds. And the costs have been astronomical. A December 2006 National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) Research Brief reported that: "The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety estimates that both on- and off-the-job motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion per year from 1998 through 2000."

Ultimately, each time employees get behind the wheel, the risks to them and their employers are monumental. So the question to ask yourself is this: How safely are your employees driving? If you're unsure or don't like the answer, it's worth taking a look at how PMA can help.

The Right Coverage

When you have commercial vehicles on the road, whether it's a few cars or an entire fleet, your first order of business is to ensure that your commercial automobile coverage is comprehensive - for the employer and the employee.

PMA's Commercial Automobile Program focuses on making certain our clients have the most effective, efficient and comprehensive risk management possible. When it comes to our commercial automobile insurance programs, we approach risk reduction and elimination as thoroughly as we do in our workers' compensation programs. As a result, we can often do more to reduce costs and improve safety for our clients when we create and carry out a seamless risk management program for both workers' compensation and commercial automobile coverages.

Examine your current program and look for services and coverages like the following, which you'll find in PMA's approach to commercial automobile insurance (available in most states):

• Client and insurance carrier collaboration to develop a customized Fleet Safety Program that's coordinated by the carrier's Risk Control Department and administered to address the client's specific needs.

• A driver monitoring program that uses vehicle decals to encourage the public to report the safe and unsafe driving actions of your drivers via a toll-free number. PMA provides the SafetyFirst® driver monitoring program at no extra charge for qualifying accounts. We've found that our driver monitoring clients have historically experienced impressive auto claim frequency improvements relative to all PMA auto clients.

• A broad form endorsement that provides frequently requested coverage enhancements, such as the PMA ExcelleratorPLUS Endorsement, which includes unintentional failure to disclose hazards, knowledge and notice of accident, towing and more.

Driver Awareness

What's the key to protecting your drivers and reducing your commercial automobile insurance costs? That key is to provide driver training to help them avoid accidents in the first place. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that 90 percent of vehicle accidents are caused by poor driving behavior. That means that safer driving, through training and improved behind the wheel awareness, can help prevent accidents, save lives, limit injuries and ultimately reduce your insurance costs.

"Driving is the most frequent, unsupervised task in the workplace and can be one of the most dangerous," adds Tim Weir, PMA Sr. Risk Control Consultant. "Once workers hit the roads, they're on their own, which is why driver screening and training are so important. They not only reinforce the drivers' skills necessary to drive safely, but also provide the company with an understanding of who is operating their vehicles and an expectation of how drivers will operate their vehicles."

That's why PMA has partnered with the National Safety Council (NSC) to provide the Council's Four-Hour Defensive Driving Course (DDC-4) to our clients. Developed in 1964, this course was the first of its kind in the nation. Today, more than 500 organizations use DDC-4 to train more than 400,000 drivers in safe driving habits and techniques every year. And it's making a difference. According to the NSC, a recent study found that drivers who participated in DDC-4 had 13 percent fewer negligent driving arrests and 9 percent fewer collisions than drivers who did not participate.

DDC-4 is a dynamic program that serves as a great refresher for experienced drivers and a foundation course for new drivers. In less than one day, the program gives a comprehensive overview of how to make the right choices while driving and the consequences of making the wrong choices. It reinforces good driving behaviors and demonstrates how a driver's attitude can prevent collisions. Some of the specific topics covered include:

• Defensive driving techniques
• Driver behaviors
• Personal driving style evaluation
• Identifying road hazards
• Common driver impairments
• Road rage
• The "Fatal Four" causes of a crash

All students receive a 48-page participant course guide and a certificate of completion. For additional information on DDC-4 and how to improve the safety of your fleet and its drivers, please contact your PMA Risk Control Consultant.

Online Training, Videos and More

Summit offers more than 100 online programs, including safe driving courses such as "Decision Driving," "Driver Awareness: 15-Passenger Van Safety" and "Street Smart: Driving Skills."

As a PMA client, you also get specially discounted rates on online and video training programs from Summit Training Source®, the premier provider of safety training programs to more than 35,000 organizations worldwide. Summit offers more than 100 online programs, including safe driving courses such as "Decision Driving," "Driver Awareness: 15-Passenger Van Safety" and "Street Smart: Driving Skills."

Additionally, you have access to hundreds of training videos and DVDs, which include driving topics such as winter driving, general driving skills and tips for driver supervisors. You can access Summit Training directly from The PMA Insurance Group and PMA Management Corp. websites at www.pmagroup.com and www.pmamc.com, respectively.

"In total, PMA takes a rather unique approach to addressing transportation risks," adds Mike Danford, PMA Risk Control Technical Specialist. "We not only provide all the general safe driving materials, but also listen to our clients, get to know their operations, uncover their exposures, and collaborate with them to develop a customized risk control program, which sometimes includes building training modules just for them."

PMA's risk control experts also publish technical bulletins on pertinent safety topics designed to help you train your staff in-house. We offer several bulletins addressing safe driving, including how to reduce vehicle backing accidents, driver distractions and truck rollover, and how to develop a fleet loss prevention program. Copies of these bulletins and more are available from your Risk Control Consultant or by contacting the PMA Risk Control Department directly via e-mail at riskcontrol@pmagroup.com.

If you're curious about what PMA Commercial Automobile coverages and Risk Control Services can do for the safety of your drivers, whether you have a few or a few hundred on the road, let us know. We're happy to help. And chances are good that we can.