As the owner or manager of a fleet, distracted driving should be one of your main concerns. Everyone knows that driving under the influence is destructive and dangerous; you would never allow your drivers on the road when drunk. But do you realize that drivers who text and drive are 23 times more likely to cause an accident than those who don’t?
You can help your fleet drivers combat distracted driving by encouraging them to pass our driving simulator course. This course is where they can experience a safe, simulated version of what can happen when drivers don’t focus on the road.
Risks of Distracted Driving
The CDC defines distracted driving as “doing another activity that takes the driver’s attention away from driving.” Usually, those activities include using a mobile phone for texting or making phone calls, but distracted driving can extend to eating, using a GPS, outdoor distractions, or other multitasking activities.
Texting is one of the most frequent and most dangerous activities you can do while driving. Usually, sending or reading a text takes about five seconds. This might not seem like much time, but at 55 miles per hour, looking away from the road for five seconds is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
In 2020, distracted driving killed 3,142 people. This statistic is second only to drunk driving in terms of yearly fatalities, but deaths due to texting and driving have risen in past years. The number may overtake drunk driving at some point. Driving while texting is the highest cause of teenage death on the road.
Death is not the only risk resulting from driving while distracted; unfocused drivers can cost their employers thousands of dollars in insurance, medical costs, and repairs. Accidents can destroy trucks and equipment, and injured employees may need to spend time in recovery.
Train Your Drivers to Be Safe
L3Harris Driver Training Systems provide a great way to ensure that your driving personnel (current or potential) are well-informed about road safety and understand the importance of staying focused on the road. With our driving simulators, your drivers will be able to learn firsthand what can happen when they drive distracted. They can even experience a simulated crash without causing any damage to people or property.
Your drivers will learn to avoid distractions such as:
- Receiving a text message
- Getting a phone call
- Animals crossing the road
- Dangerous traffic
L3Harris driving simulators won’t just expose your drivers to potential distractions; they’ll help them know how to prevent and react to them. Drivers learn to put their phones away while driving, not get distracted by activities outside the vehicle, and always keep their eyes on the road. The simulators will even allow them to compare the difference between distracted and focused driving and draw their own conclusions.
With our program, drivers:
- Learn how to drive safely
- Prepare for difficult or dangerous driving situations
- Get hands-on experience without risking bodily injury
- Can record their response time, set goals, and improve
- Can safely learn from failures and mistakes
Train Your Drivers to Drive Safely
Distracted driving is dangerous. When your drivers aren’t paying attention to the road, they put themselves at risk, causing costly accidents. Set a standard for your fleet; never allow distracted driving.
You can train your entire fleet with L3Harris Driver Training Systems to ensure they recognize and combat distractions while driving. We’ll help your drivers identify potential threats to their safety while driving, learn how to be safe on the road, and always keep improving.
Don’t wait. Make sure your drivers are trained to be safe on the road. Contact us today for a custom quote!