Today, we are going to bring you our multi-Part article series on what your fleet can do to predict and prevent severe accidents. And while you may initially think, \u201cBut that\u2019s impossible,\u201d in fact it can be done. Of course, every fleet wants to increase safety and mitigate crash risk, but they just don\u2019t know how. By properly using data, sleep education and effective truck driver coaching, fleets can improve their overall level of safety and prevent horrible accidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, the most significant aspect of a severe accident is the human toll. People can become injured or even die. Lives can be ruined. Beyond how it impacts people and their families, accidents can be substantial and leave little room for unbudgeted costs, whether they be from insurance claims, litigation, repairs, or service level damages. Consider that a single severe collision could cost your fleet millions of dollars<\/a>, and you can see the problem. Numbers like that could cripple a small fleet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the major problems in dealing with severe accidents lies in the fact that they are typically infrequent and largely happen at random\u2026 or do they? Could it be that, contrary to popular belief, large truck accidents are not random at all? Indeed, they may very well be a natural culmination of information, a set of subtle data points that can be isolated and analyzed. With the right information, trucking companies<\/a> may very well be able to detect or prevent an accident before it ever occurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The key is understanding what issues the data points to. One of the most common causes of road accidents involving large trucks is that of fatigue. And while most conventional safety programs deal with specific truck diver behaviors, such as not checking mirrors or proper speed control, something like loss of control is generally a physiological problem. When a truck driver is suffering from fatigue or sleep abnormalities, they may feel awake even when their mind is asleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider this scary fact: A truck driver technically could be 100% in compliant with Hours of Service (HOS) regulations while still being asleep at the wheel. When truck drivers are tired and become distracted from operating the vehicle, accidents occur. Most severe accidents occur when truck drivers lose control of the vehicle and are not responsive at the point of contact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When a truck driver has been exposed to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n They may be at risk for a severe accident. Additionally,\nthere are six major accident types that fall into the \u201csevere\u201d category and can\nbe attributed to fatigue and loss of control:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each of these accident types could be potentially fatal for\nanyone else on the road as well as the truck operator. These types of loss of\ncontrol accidents happen when the operator is disconnected or distracted from\nthe truck driving task at hand. In these situations, they may not take any\naction, but had they been awake, would have seen the point of impact at least\nfive to seven seconds before the accident occurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n