Whether they’re driving on the job or commuting to and from work, employees need to be alert while driving so they’ll be ready to react quickly and safely in any situation.
Defensive driving is about concentration on driving, anticipation of hazards, and correction to account for hazardous conditions or situations.
Here are a few simple tips you can share with your workers to make sure they keep safe every time they get behind the wheel:
- When approaching entrances to shopping malls, drive-ins, restaurants, or filling stations, look for any movement that may mean a vehicle is pulling out into traffic.
- Watch for movement well back from the intersection on side roads and at cross streets, so that you can act defensively if necessary.
- On multilane roads, notice the space between the tires of the vehicle in front of you and the lane marking nearest to the tire. If the gap starts to narrow, it could mean that the vehicle is drifting or about to change lanes.
Have your vehicle operators teach themselves defensive driving with BLR’s Interactive CD Course: Defensive Driving. Completely self-contained and usable anywhere. Try it at no cost or risk. Find out more.
- Watch for pedestrians, runners, and people on bicycles, and expect anything. Be ready to use your brakes.
- Watch in the rearview mirror for drivers behind you who might want to pass. Frequent checks will help you see someone pulling into the opposing lane. You will be aware of them even if they pull into your blind spot.
- Don’t concentrate on one spot on the road. Scan back and forth looking for any potential problems. Watch what’s happening well out in front of your vehicle to detect problems sooner.
- Keep a safe distance behind the car in front of you. Follow the 2-second rule, and stay at least 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front. Just pick a stationary object like a light pole on the road ahead. When the vehicle in front passes it, begin counting seconds …1 and …2. If you get to the object before you count 2, you’re too close to the vehicle in front. Slow down and back off.
Try BLR’s Interactive CD Course: Defensive Driving at no cost or risk. Get the details.
A solid defensive driving training program can show your employees how much they have yet to learn—likely one reason that organizations recommend repeated training supplemented by constant reminders.
Hands-Off Training
To train your employees to be safe, defensive drivers, we’d like to bring to your attention BLR’s Interactive CD Course: Defensive Driving. It’s a hands-off, 50-slide audio presentation that:
- Defines defensive driving and demonstrates its characteristics
- Demonstrates the characteristics of driving defensively, such as the "2-second rule"
- Focuses on handling dangerous conditions such as winter driving, poor lighting, or heavy rush-hour traffic
- Warns against engaging with aggressive drivers in incidents of road rage
- Explains the effects of alcohol use and sleep deprivation on driving
- Emphasizes importance of following company safe-driving policy
Because your drivers are likely in and out on varied schedules, the program is completely self-directed. It can be used anywhere there’s a computer and whether or not you are present.
Motivation is built-in through a wide variety of interactive features that have your drivers doing "hands-on" tasks that make learning interesting. Built-in quick quizzes block progress until the material is learned. When it is, the program prints out a completion certificate. We’ve seen very few safe-driver training programs as engaging and effective as this one.
You can see for yourself how well BLR’s Interactive CD Course: Defensive Driving works as we’ve arranged for Advisor readers to evaluate the program at no cost or risk for up to 30 days so you can try it with some of your own "road warriors." Please let us know and we’ll be happy to set things up.
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