Issue 134 – April 2023
RISK SOLUTIONS
Distracted Driving Awareness Month—All Year Long
By Maria Galvan, Senior Risk ManagerWhile April is designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Safety Council, this is a subject that members should focus on year-round to ensure the safety of employees and the public. The annual designation of April as Awareness Month is an effort to recognize and eliminate preventable deaths from distracted driving.
Automobile accidents involving a member driver represent a total cost to the Authority over the last six years of $30.2 million ($5 million per year on average). Below is a breakdown of the claims, by program, over the last six years.
The liability programs have experienced 1,457 claims (243 per year on average) for accidents involving a member driver.
- This represents 19 percent of pool-wide liability claim frequency.
- The total severity for these claims is $14.8 million ($2.5 million per year), representing 8 percent of pool-wide liability claim severity.
- The average cost of these claims is $10,158.
In the workers’ compensation program, 224 injuries (37 per year on average) involving a member driver have occurred.
- This represents 1.4 percent of pool-wide workers’ compensation claim frequency.
- The total severity for these claims is $11.2 million ($1.9 million per year on average), representing 7.5 percent of total severity.
- The average cost of these claims is $50,000.
The property program has experienced 548 auto-physical damage losses during this period.
- 91 per year on average, with a total severity of $4.2 million.
- With an average cost of $7,664 per claim.
Members are advised to review their vehicle use policies to ensure they are up-to-date, effective, and being followed. Preventable, reoccurring accidents occur at an agency if the vehicle use policy is not enforced. Risk management and human resources personnel should review all accidents to determine whether an accident was preventable or non-preventable and should be involved when making disciplinary recommendations. Managers and supervisors should also look at behaviors that cause near events, evaluate what happened, and use the information during safety tailgate meetings and coaching of employees. Furthermore, supervisors should routinely monitor employees’ driving while performing their job-related driving responsibilities. Reviewing accident and near-event history as part of employee performance evaluations is also suggested. Managers and supervisors should report all accidents to risk management and human resources.
Many member agencies also evaluate the driving record of prospective employees and volunteers by requiring them to provide a current Driving Record/Motor Vehicle Report. This allows the member to determine whether prospective employees and volunteers have good driving histories before extending an offer to those individuals where driving would be a job or volunteer function. Many members also enroll employees and volunteers who drive on agency business in the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Pull Notice Program, which allows members to monitor driver’s license records of employees driving on the organization’s behalf. The monitoring helps improve public safety, determines whether a driver has a valid driver’s license, identifies problem drivers or driving behavior, and helps minimize an agency’s liability.
To assist in this area, the California JPIA recently launched Embark Safety as a new member resource for motor vehicle report monitoring. The Embark monitoring platform features include 24/7/365 web-based access to DMV driver record information, real-time motor vehicle record (MVR) notifications, driver color-coding to reduce the time spent evaluating driving records, violation decoding, driver management, and pre-employment MVR checks. The program is funded as a pooled cost, with no direct, out-of-pocket expenses.
Some members have also moved toward installing GPS tracking and speed control systems in agency-owned vehicles. Some private companies include cameras in company vehicles and have observed self-correcting of driver behavior in many instances. Any measures or policies being considered for implementation at a member agency should be discussed with risk management, human resources, and legal counsel.
The California JPIA offers an instructor-led Driver Safety course and a Safe Driving and Safe Driving of Commercial Vehicles – eLearning refresher training. For more information, contact the training division. Other resources available in the resource library include a vehicle use policy template, vehicle use documents, and vehicle inspection checklists. In addition, the policy template provides procedures for using agency-owned and privately-owned vehicles operated during agency business. Vehicle use documents include witness and information exchange cards, driver’s reports of accidents/incidents, and vehicle cards that establish proof of liability coverage for agency-owned vehicles.
A way to effect change is to set a personal example. This includes executives, managers, and supervisors. Member agencies should have a culture of safety, not fear, to have an effective vehicle use and agency-wide safety program. Safe driving is possible with proper awareness, training, and action. If you have any questions, contact your regional risk manager.
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