Safe Driving


In the United States, a person dies in a motor vehicle crash every 12 minutes, an injury occurs every 10 seconds and a crash takes place every 5 seconds, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Many of these incidents occur during work or when employees are travelling to or from work. On-the-job traffic accidents are more common in the landscape industry because employees often are on the road, traveling between jobsites. Given that landscaping vehicles are commonly loaded with equipment and chemicals, accidents involving them often have more serious consequences.

The average crash costs an employer $16,500, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If an injury results, the employer’s average cost is $74,000. Costs can exceed half a million dollars if there’s a fatality. For employees, the physical and psychological effects can be devastating.

More than 90 percent of automobile accidents are avoidable. Teaching and following practices for safely operating trucks with trailers can help landscaping companies and their employees, respectively, prevent most crashes.

Checklist for Supervisors

  • Adhere to highway safety regulations. Know which local, state and/or federal regulations apply to your vehicles and/or drivers. Agencies that might regulate your firm’s operations include the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and Federal Highway Administration.

  • Check driving records as part of your recruiting process. Screen out applicants with poor records. Review current employees’ records periodically and clearly define the number of violations an employee can have before losing the privilege of driving while on the clock.

  • Use the safest vehicles. When buying or leasing, choose vehicles with “best-in-class” status for crashworthiness and overall safety (see safercar.gov).

  • Be vigilant about vehicle maintenance. Put vehicles and trailers on a manufacturer-recommended preventive maintenance schedule that includes checking safety-related equipment.

  • Provide driver-safety training to new employees and regular refreshers for all employees. This training should include instruction on conducting pre- and post-trip inspections.

  • Demonstrate to employees the proper way to drive while towing a trailer. Also demonstrate how to back up a trailer.

  • Institute a reward/incentive program for safe driving. The program should involve recognition, monetary rewards or special privileges to motivate employees to achieve traffic-safety goals. Also incentivize employees to report near misses.

  • Create a corrective-action program. It should establish progressive discipline for repeated traffic violations and preventable crashes. The program also should lay out actions that will be taken if an employee accumulates a certain number of violations or preventable crashes within a certain time period.

  • Ensure drivers know how to avoid exceeding gross combination weight ratings. Teach them to tabulate the weight of vehicles and their cargo.

  • Create a written driver-safety program. It should include training specific to operating trucks with trailers. Federal OSHA recommends creating a driver-safety program with the following 10 components:

    • Senior management commitment and employee involvement — Senior management should provide leadership, set policies and allocate resources to create a safety culture. Workers should also be involved in the initial planning phase of the program.
    • Written policies and procedures — Create clear, comprehensive and enforceable traffic-safety policies. Communicate them to all employees by posting them, periodically distributing copies and discussing them at company meetings.
    • Driver agreements — Have employees who drive either a company vehicle or their own for work purposes sign an agreement in which they acknowledge awareness and understanding of your traffic-safety policies and expectations regarding driver performance, vehicle maintenance and reporting of moving violations.
    • Motor vehicle record (MVR) checks — Perform these during the recruiting process, and regularly check current employees’ records.
    • Crash reporting and investigation Establish a traffic-accident reporting and investigation process that guides drivers through their responsibilities. Employees should report all near misses and incidents, regardless of severity, to a supervisor a s soon as possible. Review all incidents to determine the cause and whether they were preventable.
    • Vehicle selection, maintenance and inspection — Consider the safety features of vehicles before purchasing or leasing. Maintain vehicles according to manufacturer recommendations. Also ensure personal vehicles used on company business are properly maintained.
    • Disciplinary action system — See corrective-action section above.
    • Reward/incentive program — See above.
    • Driver training/communication This should be continuous, since becoming complacent and not thinking about the consequences of poor driving habits is so easy. Even the best drivers benefit from safety reminders.
    • Regulatory compliance — See above.

  • Develop a written mobile electronic device policy. This can be part of your driver-safety program and overall safety program. The policy should address whether employees are allowed to use cell phones or other handheld electronic devices (detail each type); if so, in what situations use is allowed and under which conditions it is prohibited (for example, while operating a vehicle, landscaping/construction equipment, etc.) Some options for cell phone safety policies include banning phone use by anyone in a vehicle while the vehicle is in motion, not allowing drivers to use cell phones and requiring use of hands-free systems (studies show using hands-free devices vs. handheld cell phones doesn’t significantly reduce risk).

Employee Dos and Dont's

Do:

  • Follow your company’s driver-safety program policies and procedures.

  • Conduct pre- and post-trip inspections per your training. If you did not receive this training, ask a supervisor about it.

  • Pay close attention at intersections. Approximately 23 percent of fatal crashes are intersection-related, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Proceed cautiously into intersections, even if you have the right of way.

  • Change your driving techniques based on road/weather conditions. Slow down and use greater caution when ice, snow, fog or rain are present.

  • Change lanes properly. Check all mirrors and signal long before beginning your move into another lane. Watch for other vehicles that might be attempting to switch to the same lane. If you are towing a trailer, ensure there is adequate space for the trailer when changing lanes.

  • Make wide right turns when towing a trailer. Remember the length of the trailer extends beyond the back of the truck. The truck could make a turn just fine, but the trailer could hit a pedestrian, utility pole or fire hydrant.

  • Steer straight ahead and reduce your speed gradually as you are passed by large trucks. If you are pulling a trailer, the wind they produce can cause the trailer to sway.

  • Regularly check the position of the trailer using the truck mirrors. Know a loaded trailer handles differently than an empty one.

  • Use opposite steering procedures when backing up a trailer. Always back up slowly and be aware that sharp turns can cause the trailer to jackknife. Use a spotter when backing up a trailer.

  • If an accident occurs, help avert a second one by setting out reflective triangles.

Don't:

  • Get distracted. Remain focused on your driving, other drivers, pedestrians, driving conditions and any equipment or materials you’re hauling. Avoid distractions from mobile electronic devices. Follow your company’s policy regarding use of cell-phones and other handheld electronic devices while on the road.

  • Accelerate quickly or unevenly, make sharp turns or stop suddenly.

  • Follow too closely. Maintain at least a 3-second following distance from the car in front of you. To do this, choose a fixed point (such as a road sign) even with the car in front of you. If you reach that point before you can count to three you’re driving too close. In hazardous weather conditions or when driving a loaded vehicle or pulling a trailer, increase the following distance to at least 5 seconds.

  • Travel at unsafe speeds. Going too fast reduces reaction time, causing or contributing to many accidents.