The question in our mind is why accidents happen. Is it due to reckless driving? There are many reasons why accidents happen; it may be due to our previous experiences, perceptions, emotional tendencies, and, finally, our driving habits. This is the psychology of driving. Workers need to understand the psychological part of the responsibility of driving. Every decision you make behind the wheel can reveal a great deal about the driver.
There are many types of drivers in the workplace. The behavior of drivers changes from day to day based on their situation. The following are a few general mindsets that drivers have daily:
The Distracted Driver
These are drivers who, even for a second, take their eyes off the road. They do so for several reasons: daydreaming, picking up their phones, using the audio system, picking up objects, and any other multitasking while driving. All these activities significantly increase the risk of the driver meeting an accident. The sort this issue, we should install steering touch sensors to ensure that the worker is always holding the steering wheel, install infra-red eye-tracking sensors to make sure the worker does not take his eyes off the road, and provide him with proper training for defensive driving techniques and also use remote monitoring cameras to make sure the driver is driving correctly. If the driver wants to do any work, he has to make sure he stops the vehicle first and not just reduce the vehicle’s speed. We can also appeal to the sentiments of the worker by placing a family photo of his wife and kids on the dashboard as a reminder of what he will be heading home to.
The Rushed Driver
A rushed driver wants to get to the destination as soon as possible. They are reckless; they Over speed, change lanes often, and swerve from side to side. They are very aggressive, which could lead to accidents, license suspension, or fines. These drivers need to be given more time to get to the destination. Advice drivers to follow the 3 seconds rule and not to taunt other drivers on the road.
The Emotional Driver
Emotion relates to a worker’s feelings, drivers who get angry, nervous, sad, or any other emotions that take over their rational decision-making and end up causing accidents. Angry drivers lead to confrontations, and nervous drivers often make indecisive decisions like overuse off their breaks and driving below the speed limit. To avoid such behaviors, provide training for general awareness. If a worker is angry, stressed, or sad, ask them to take a moment and take a deep breath, self-assess and pull over if necessary.
The New Driver
New and young drivers are either overconfident or scared on the road, and research shows that young people have a higher tendency to violate road rules or drive recklessly. New drivers need to be accompanied by senior drivers so they can offer advice and tips based on their experience.
The Fatigued Drivers
Drivers driving trucks usually drive all day and night with very little rest and sleep, which can lead to a lapse in concentration, leading to accidents. It is estimated that over 19% of truck crashes are caused due to sleeplessness. Companies need to ensure that drivers are not pushed to meet unrealistic time limits. Make sure that a banksman accompanies drivers to make sure
Controlling Driver Habits
It is the responsibility of the employers to provide training and awareness to the drivers on how to improve their driving and stay safe on the road. Here are a few suggestions to help control ad driving habits
Listen to Your Vehicle
If your vehicle cannot keep up with the driver’s ability or the driving conditions, then we need to help the driver change his approach to handling the vehicle.
Road Conditions
It is essential to keep in mind the road conditions around us, and if it changes, we also need to adapt to them. Drivers must always be aware of the road circumstances, the weather conditions, the traffic around the time of travel, other drivers’ mentality, and general road awareness.
Follow Road Rules
Drivers need to e aware of all the road rules and regulations. Every state or country will have different rules, so if you are crossing the border, you need to be aware of the regulations in the region that you are driving in. workers could be provided with a driver’s handbook, which should give them basic information reminding them of the various signs and information regarding road rules.
Safety Gear
Do not forget to wear the seat belt; use alarms and sensors to determine if a worker is constantly wearing one.
Monitoring Driver Behavior
To improve driving, you need a proper monitoring system in place. You can monitor drivers using a telematics system. The use of telematics can help benefit by correcting bad behavior, which saves money and increases productivity.
Telematics System
Telematics is a combination of phone lines and informatics, such as a communication system. We today use this method in vehicles to monitor them at work. This system is used to collect and transmit data on the vehicle, and it can also be called the black box of the vehicle.
The telematics system uses an onboard GPS cellular system to transmit data to a centralized server. The server interprets the information and allows it to be displayed via secure websites or apps to the end-user. This data could include location, speed, idling time, harsh acceleration or braking, fuel consumption, vehicle faults, etc. This data can be analyzed and used to provide feedback regarding a driver’s behavior and practices on the road.
Article written by :
Varun Vignesh, HSE Trainer, Green World Group – Dubai .