In a country where 80% of the traffic accidents are a result of human error, training your employees the defensive driving techniques should be your top priority. If you are actually concerned about the safety of your workforce, initiate a defensive driving course for your staff. The course should cover the following defensive driving techniques:
- Keep A Safe Distance From The Vehicle Ahead
Most road accidents are a result of rear-end collisions. Make your staff aware of the importance of space between two vehicles. Ask them to always be two seconds away from the vehicle ahead. In case of rain, which is infrequent in the UAE, the gap should be four seconds.
- Keep Your Eyes Open:
Defensive driving demands wide open eyes on the road ahead. Look for any potential dangers and always stay alert.
- Don’t Drive If You Are Tired:
Companies should discourage their employees driving in the state of fatigue and sleep. Especially, on longer journeys, it is mandatory to stop and take a short nap. Advise your workers to set a goal for the number of kilometres they can drive without getting tired, so that they can stop and rest when the goal is achieved.
- Never Let Go Of The Steering Wheel:
Explain to your staff how vital it is to keep both their hands on the wheel while driving. Discourage multi-tasking on the road. Train the employees to pull over if they want to use the phone, eat something or do anything that would distract them from driving safely.
- Know Your Speed:
Defensive Driving is all about being defensive and not aggressive. Speed kills! Glance at the speedometer every once in a while to make sure you are not going too fast. Moreover, keep an eye on speed signs on the road and always drive below the speed limits.
- Put Your Seatbelt On:
This is a pretty basic defensive technique, but probably the most important one. If you are not wearing your seatbelt, you are not safe. Tell your staff to put their seatbelt as they sit in the car.
- Look for an Escape Route:
Defensive driving demands you to take advantage of the car mirrors and be aware of the vehicles around you. Educate your employees why this is imperative. In order to avoid a potential accident, they should be aware of the surroundings to get out of the danger zone safely.
- Don’t Drive When You Are Not Upset:
Make sure your employees understand the significance of mental stability and calmness. Advise your employees not to drive when they are upset or angry.
- Use the Lights:
Explain the language of the road to your staff members. What does a flash-to-pass mean and how it can contribute to a safe drive? Also, in foggy and rainy weathers, the headlights must be on.
- Check the Condition of the Road:
Enlighten your employees about road obstructions and how to take care of them. Workers using SUVs are in a better position to look ahead the road, however, those using cars must be extra vigilant especially during night driving.
The best way to have your employees follow the defensive driving course is to set an example yourself. Do what you want them to do. If you yourself don’t follow the safe driving techniques, how can you expect your employees to do so?