Two key topics in your defensive driving program should be how to avoid collisions and how to drive safely in the dark. Continue reading for training content on each situation.
Cut Out Collisions
Collisions are a major cause of injury and death in traffic accidents. Specifically, two-car collisions are among the most common kind of traffic accident. About one-third of two-car collisions occur at intersections, so workers need to be especially careful when entering an intersection.
The main types of collisions are:
- Head-on collisions
- Hit from behind
- Hitting the driver in front
- Side collisions
Head-on collisions are particularly dangerous and can be deadly. The key to avoiding them is to keep looking ahead down the road for possible problems. If drivers see a crash is likely to come ahead, they should slow down and even go off the road to the right, if possible, to avoid a head-on crash.
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Rear-end collisions are also dangerous, but they, too, are preventable. For example, employees should:
- Signal their intentions when stopping or turning;
- Be alert for tailgaters;
- Slow down gradually; and
- Leave room in front of their vehicles when stopped so that if
they are hit from behind, at least they won’t hit the vehicle in front. A good way for drivers to measure that they are a safe distance back from the vehicle in front is to make sure they can see where the rear tires of the front vehicle meet the road surface. If all they can see is the vehicle’s back bumper, they are too close!
To avoid colliding with a vehicle in front, employees should take these precautions:
- Look well ahead for hazards, brake lights, and turn signals.
- Always maintain sufficient distance between their vehicle and the vehicle in front so that they have enough room to stop safely.
To avoid side collisions, workers should approach all intersections with caution, and always look both ways before proceeding—even if they have the right-of-way. They should never try to force their way through an intersection if another driver is set on going first. It is better to let the other driver go ahead than it is to get into an accident that can be costly and perhaps dangerous to them and to others.
Nix Nighttime Driving Accidents
More accidents occur at night than any other time of day. The reason is simple: It is much harder to see at night, and much harder to react quickly when drivers do see a hazard.
Here are some defensive driving tips to share with employees for driving at night:
- Keep the windshield clean to improve vision.
- Turn lights on 1/2 hour before sunset.
- Increase following distance to 4 seconds.
- Be extra careful on curves and at intersections.
- Switch from high to low beams to keep from blinding other drivers.
- If they have trouble, pull completely off the road and use flashers.
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Ready-to-Use Safety Training Courses
Do you need more training material on safe driving—for both commercial and noncommercial motor vehicle drivers? Could you also use prewritten training content on more than 100 other critical safety topics? Topics such as:
- Back Safety
- Bloodborne Pathogens
- Permit-Required Confined Spaces
- Substance Abuse in the Workplace
- Exit Routes
- Fall Protection
- Forklifts
- Hazard Communication
- Lockout/Tagout
- SDSs
- Slips and Falls
- Violence in the Workplace
Look no further than the Workplace Safety Library on BLR’s TrainingToday®.
Train for Compliance—and for Safety’s Sake
Unlike many training solutions available on the market today, TrainingToday courses are routinely reviewed and updated to reflect changes in federal regulations or best practices. Each training course is developed by BLR® lawyers, industry experts, and instructional designers who have experience across a wealth of industries, topics, and compliance areas.
Courses keep participants interested with engaging audio, built-in exercises, and key points to remember. At the completion of every course, individuals take a quiz designed to test for competency in all the course material presented. Quiz results and course completion times are automatically recorded.
Every course can be tailored with supporting and custom documents. BLR provides supporting documents for courses that include complete speaker notes and the answer key for the included quiz. As the administrator, you have the option of displaying uploaded documents and requiring review before the session begins. This is especially useful for company policies or worksite-specific information. Supporting materials can be added, edited, or removed at any time.
With only a few minutes’ setup, your company will have a complete Web-based training program with professionally developed courses, employee testing capabilities, and systematic documentation of employee training sessions and scores. And remember, BLR TrainingToday courses can be delivered at individual employee desks, in computer centers, at training kiosks, or even in a classroom.
No wonder BLR’s TrainingToday was named “Best Workforce Training Solution” by the Software Information Industry Association. It can help you launch a cost-effective and successful employee training program.
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