Commercial drivers cover huge distances over the course of a year. All of that driving means that they have plenty of experience. As a result, they tend to have fewer accidents per mile. But the fact that they spend more time behind the wheel balances things out a bit and heightens their chances of having one.
If you are a commercial or business driver it is important to know how to handle having an accident. Potentially, there is more at stake than there is for private vehicle drivers. That is why many companies have things set up so that they can call a team of truck accident lawyers if it comes to it. Here are the basics you should know and bear in mind.
Know the law
Top of the list is knowing what the law requires of you and your staff and we don’t just mean things like always stopping at the scene and securing it. There may be laws that do not apply to regular road users that you will need to follow. For example, if you are carrying hazardous materials it could be that you have to let the police know that. It may be that the driver has to follow certain safety procedures or carry out special checks in the event of an accident.
Whichever special rules apply to your staff, your vehicles, and the products you carry you must know and comply with them. You need to put in place a way of keeping up with any changes to those rules or laws.
Provide your staff with specialist training
Anyone who might need to drive those vehicles must be trained in any special procedures. In general, it is a good idea to provide additional training to anyone who is going to drive your company vehicles. There are even benefits to putting regular company drivers through a short defensive driving course. As you can see from the statistics, these courses reduce accidents and potentially save lives.
Often, the cost of putting your drivers through them is more than covered by the fact they have fewer accidents. This helps to keep your insurance premiums down as well as reducing the chances of your staff members and vehicles being put out of action. When you are unable to carry out your work and start to let customers down the often-hidden costs of that soon mount up.
Consider fitting your vehicles with cameras
If you are allowed to do so in the area you operate in, consider fitting your vehicles with cameras. But don’t do it automatically. You need to weigh up the pros and cons of doing so and understand the legal implications of fitting them. You can read about some of them here.
Following the above advice will save you a lot of time, hassle, and stress. But you need to bear in mind that things are constantly changing, so take steps to stay current and regularly update any accident checklists you use.