Accidents happen and are not only stressful and traumatic for the driver, but an administration hassle for companies. A good approach for fleet operating customers is to prevent accidents from happening in the first place.
A safer fleet involves managing driver behaviour and a solid fleet accident management strategy.
Here are some facets of, and methods towards, a safer and more responsible fleet.
Staff with company cars should have up-to-date vehicle and driver’s licences, but in reality, many drivers are slack and get too busy to renew them. In fact, The Road Traffic Management Corporation, reveals that close to half-a-million South African fleet drivers are not properly licensed.
Firstly, fleet drivers need to show their companies that they have legitimate drivers licences and undergo regular competency screening. Secondly, car licences need to be renewed annually or drivers face hefty fines.
Companies can assist with this task by going through a fleet management specialist who can process fleet-related matters efficiently and expertly.
Even with sufficient training given around safety rules for fleet drivers, a safer fleet isn’t guaranteed. In short, bad habits appear or resurface despite these precautions.
Avis Fleet’s Telematics product – a technology-based solution, aids the running of a safer fleet and has saved customers up to 20% in fuel costs. Telematics manages driver behaviour by gauging whether a driver is speeding, over-revving, idling, braking too fast, or taking an inefficient route to carry out business activities.
Telematics also pinpoints when the driver begins and ends a journey, alerting them to any changes in speed, allowing them the opportunity to slow down. This innovation inevitably leads to safer fleet practices.
Fines are an aspect of fleet management that can spiral out of control if not monitored closely. The AARTO enforcement process, alongside the CPA act for traffic violations, has been slow to implement, but as soon as it launches, companies face a challenging task of navigating their way through the system.
When the AARTO demerit points come into effect, drivers, instead of companies, face the consequences of bad driving. Nevertheless, should a driver be suspended for three months because of not being able to pay their fines, or having accumulated demerit points, fleet-operating companies feel the effects in downtime and loss of productivity.
To make matters worse, it takes time for the points to be reduced back down to 0. Here, educating drivers on the dangers of bad driving goes a long way to preventing this kind of scenario.
That’s why Avis Fleet developed Fleet Accident Management – a comprehensive accident management service.
From the time that the accident occurs until the damage is repaired and the vehicle is returned to you, Avis Fleet takes care of all the red tape, leaving companies free to focus on their core business.
Find out more about Avis Telematics and other Avis Fleet solutions here.