With the next CVSA-initiated “Safe Driver Week” campaign taking place from July 7th to 13th, it’s worth considering educational methods aimed at increasing the safety of not only professional drivers, but all road users. Not everyone is aware that (according to the American Transportation Research Institute) a truck driver with a dangerous driving violation on their record is 114% more likely to have an accident!
These alarming statistics force us to create new innovative solutions to improve safety. While most trucking companies focus on traditional training methods, a few are increasingly turning their attention to one overlooked tactic that may be key to reducing accidents, vehicle maintenance issues, and distracted driving incidents: individualized coaching programs.
The key is to utilize multiple types of interaction, rather than relying on one-time delivery of “stale” information and content as has been the case so far. This innovative approach helps to assimilate knowledge, memorize key information, and keep it in mind and use it in situations where it is most needed.
These types of educational strategies are essential to creating a safer environment for all road users. How can we achieve this?! By focusing on tools and techniques that support INDIVIDUAL development and improvement, based on the learner’s level of knowledge and interests.
Here are a few examples:
Live training (asynchronous transmission), providing an interactive real-time experience, enabling immediate feedback and personalized guidance. This has been shown to increase learner engagement and understanding (when face-to-face contact is not possible).
By conducting motivational surveys, we can identify the goals, challenges and preferences of individual learners, which allows us to create personalized learning paths that optimize engagement and results.
Systematic telephone evaluations offer an individual approach to assessing student progress. It also helps to step into areas for improvement, ultimately supporting individual development and success.
The benefits of personalized coaching plans go beyond helping individual drivers. By reducing the number of accidents, injuries and vehicle downtime, these plans can help trucking companies reduce accident-related costs, and thus insurance premiums and legal liability. By collecting data, companies can also track which types of interactions have the most positive impact. What’s more, by demonstrating a commitment to driver safety and well-being, companies can improve driver retention and attract top candidates to their organizations.
Wishing you wide and safe roads from ALL ABOUT TRUCKS & TransLab!! We put Truckers first!!
