How Smart Video Fuels Smart Business
Learn how video solutions with intelligent analysis capabilities can help benefit your drivers and enhance safety programs.
Read moreAccording to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, more than 38,000 people die each year in crashes on U.S. roadways. The U.S. traffic fatality rate is 12.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, and road crashes are the leading cause of death in the U.S. for people aged 1-54.
One way to help reduce these statistics and make roads safe for you and other drivers is to practice defensive driving. In most states, there are a number of defensive driving classes available to help you learn the driving skills needed to stay safe on the road. In many cases, it’s also a requirement for truck and fleet drivers to learn defensive driving techniques or take courses as part of continuing education or re-certification. These courses are also important to help improve driving habits.
Defensive driving means a driver is proactively taking precautions and driving in a manner that helps protect himself or herself and other motorists on the road, regardless of bad weather or poor road conditions.
This includes purposely avoiding hazards, anticipating the actions of other dangerous drivers, monitoring blind spots and paying active attention to construction and other factors that impact road conditions and lane integrity. By following these techniques, a defensive driver can enhance their ability to prevent breakdowns and other negative driving situations like road rage and consequent dangerous driving.
There are a number of ways that both private passenger vehicle drivers and commercial fleet drivers can go about practicing defensive driving. Here are a few techniques:
Defensive driving classes can offer a number of critical benefits—first and foremost, they can help improve your safe driving habits.
Second, defensive driving skills can also potentially have a positive impact on insurance premiums. It’s not uncommon to find driving schools that offer defensive driving classes, or for insurance companies to offer such courses. They can lead to the reduction of points on your driver's license after a ticket, or lower insurance rates once completed.
It’s a good idea to check what’s offered in your area and through your insurance company. While availability of defensive driving classes will vary by city and state, here are a few examples of courses for both private passenger and commercial drivers:
How a driver performs behind the wheel is an important factor in the accomplishment of safe driving techniques. However, it’s not the only factor. The technology supporting the vehicle also plays a significant role.
For fleets, especially, having a GPS fleet tracking solution in place can greatly contribute to driver safety—from pinpointing driver location in the event of an accident or inclement weather event, to keeping tabs on the ongoing health and safety of the vehicle and its parts.
Find out how our platform gives you the visibility you need to get more done.
Learn how video solutions with intelligent analysis capabilities can help benefit your drivers and enhance safety programs.
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