Safe driving Challenge info wanted

Our company has had too many vehicle accidents in the past year. So they had all of the drivers take the Smith System driving course. It has helped tremendously, but we still have accidents. I made a suggestion that I thought might help, and the head of safety liked my idea, and put me in charge of implementing my idea. But I have had no luck finding info about it online.

My idea is a Safe Driver Challenge. The vehicles are Chevy / GMC 3500 series work vans. I want to set up an obstacle course in an empty parking lot with cones for drivers to navigate including backing, and something tall to see if they can get through without hitting the sideview mirrors. I was thinking of attending an autocross event to get some ideas on how to set it up, and to ask how they determine points.

With such a diverse group of people here from all around the world, I am hoping that someone can provide me with some information. Maybe a company that already provides something like this, or at least point me in the right direction to get started.

Thanks,

Phil

The fire dept that I was on had a driving test before you could drive an engine or a truck. You might talk to you local fire dept to see if they have what I think is somewhat a standard driving test to do what you are asking to do.

Did the request for the Smith program come from your fleet insurer? You might contact them to see if they have more information on what to do. What seems to be your concern are the small incidents that might not involve the insurance company but are costing your employer for repairs - dents, mirrors, etc. where the insurer is concerned about the bigger claims. Maybe Smith has something made for that type incident separate than road driving.

John

Is the safe driving training a band aid to cover management's demands and over expectation of the driver's performance? Both our local gas & electric, and the phone company put schedule demands on the service people that don't allow time for any level of customer service beyond a dead run, single function and out the door to the next scheduled job.

I have taken a lot of their tactics and made the opposite of what they do our SOP. The customers know, risk management managers can be quite clueless at times.

Bernie

Thanks for the info. We do not have schedule demands. Thankfully. The Smith driving class did not come from the insurer. It came from the safety dept. trying to find a way to reduce at fault driving accidents. We have greatly reduced the at fault accidents but are still having minor accidents due to poor judgement. I believe that is due in part because today most people drive tiny cars, and a Chevy van is tremendous to them. I've always driven big cars, so driving a big truck is no big deal to me. I feel regardless of the size of the vehicle, the problem is judgement. Being able to judge the size of your vehicle's length, width and height. That is something that you are born with. It is difficult to teach judgement. I am trying to find away for the guys to test their ability to judge their vehicle's size, length and width, and I want to make it fun. Or at least more fun than sitting in a classroom. We have a few volunteer fireman in our group, and I have a cousin who is in the FDNY.

My daughter's first car was a 1965 Electra 225. I took her to an empty parking lot at the college in town and had her park the car so the front bumper was right over the orange parking space line. She has red hair so imagine what that was like. Then she got really good and even made gestures toward smiling. Once she got skilled I said "OK, now do it with the back bumper." When she was in High School she told me her friends were in awe of her skills with that big car. Even though it was a stigma to her. Later both her and my wife were amazed to look out the window and see the Explorer I bought her. "You bought a Ford!"- both at the same time!

Bernie

As a Class A CDL holder every company that I have driven for uses the Smith System. As a matter of fact they make you waste a day of orientation pounding that through into your head before they hire you on.

With that said here's a suggestion. Do what the companies with 2,000+ trucks do. You get ONE chance. Screw that up and you're out! Now I did work for one company that allowed only 1 incident every 6 months and 3 total incidents( not accidents, nothing is an accident with these guys) over your time with the company. 3 strikes and you are out in other words. Now there is a lot of incentives to keep your record clean when you hold a CDL. Apply that same philosophy with your drivers.