Here at Drive Team, Inc., we closely follow stats and trends related to driving, vehicle accidents and steps being taken to reduce fatalities.
One of the organization we rely on for information is The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS). This organization is an employer-led public/private partnership dedicated to improving the safety and health of employees their families, and members of the community. They focus on traffic crashes that occur both on- and off-the-job.
Their latest report is intended for employers wanting to understand the cost of crashes incurred by their occupational fleets. The report also provides data about the on and off the job cost of crashes for employees and their employees’ dependents.
Here’s what we’ve learned:
1 – Off-the-job auto crashes cost employers big
Crashes cost employers whenever they occur. Of the 1.6 million lost work days, 90.4% of those were a result of off-the-job crashes. The consequences of lost work days can include an increase in overtime pay, loss of business, a decrease in productivity and a decrease in customer/client satisfaction.
2 – The cost of a fatal accident has increased
Previous estimates placed the cost of a fatal accident to a company at around $500,000. This latest report places that cost at $671,515 – this is a 34.3% increase that can have a major effect on a company’s bottom line.
3 – Case study: Coca-Cola implements a campaign for seat belt usage
A low cost, easy to implement campaign generated a 40% increase in seat belt usage. Wearing a seat belt could be the difference between a fatal crash and one resulting in a non-fatal injury. Given the cost of a fatal car crash, this is really important.
The campaign lasted for six weeks, and you can download a free toolkit will all the materials to run your own campaign.
The latest NETS report provides even more proof about the importance of driver training. Road safety programs help employers control costs and can make roads safer for everyone. If you’re interested in starting a program at your company, feel free to contact us here.