10 Essential safe driving tips for employees

Foster a culture of accountability and security from the workplace to the roadway. Nowadays, driving is both a privilege and a responsibility that every employee shouldn’t take lightly. To prevent accidents, your team should learn the art of defensive driving.

Don’t keep your team’s safety as an afterthought. To help you get started, this article lists 10 safe driving tips you can share during your next meeting.

What is safe driving?

Safe driving, also called defensive driving, is about maintaining full awareness while on the road. Safe drivers prefer to think one step ahead to avoid getting into accidents. As employers, you must encourage this practice, as it promotes accountability among your workers.

Defensive driving brings many benefits to your team. It strengthens their driving skills, reduces costly vehicle repairs, and lessens traffic violations. This article presents 10 safe driving techniques you can share with your employees.

Safe driving tip #1 - Share the road

Our first tip is to remind your team to share the road. Remember that no car has exclusive rights on the roadway. It’s a public infrastructure for cyclists, buses, trucks, and pedestrians alike. To prevent getting into a crash, tell your employees to pay attention to the other vehicles surrounding them.

When approaching a crosswalk and intersection, they must be mindful and stop for pedestrians and motorcyclists. And if they find themselves behind a truck, it’s critical to leave enough room in between to avoid stepping on the brakes suddenly. Since trucks are larger vehicles, they’ll need more time to stop.

You can help your team arrive safely to work daily by enrolling them in a short course on driver safety. SC Training’s (formerly EdApp) program gives them an overview of vehicle maintenance and safe driving practices. The lessons can be taken straight from their mobile phones, with individual progress automatically saved. Plus, the analytics dashboard makes it easy for managers to track their team’s performance.

Promote road responsibility among employees with safe driving tips. Sign up for SC Training today.

Safe driving tip #2 - Mind your speed

Speed limits exist for a reason. They reduce the spike in road injuries every year. The simplest way to communicate this to your employees is to remind them that driving shouldn’t be treated as a race. They’ll get to their destinations eventually.

Not only does observing the speed limit decrease the chances of getting into a car crash, but it also avoids fines and boosts reaction time. Commonly, drivers overspeed because they’re in a hurry. This problem can easily be remedied by planning the trip. So if the destination is farther than usual, encourage your employees to leave the home earlier so they don’t have to drive in a frenzy.

Safe driving tip #3 - Wear your seatbelt

Among our list of safe driving tips, this third one emphasizes the importance of seatbelts. This car accessory can save hundreds of lives. The National Safety Council reports that it reduces a front passenger’s risk of obtaining moderate to fatal injuries by 50%. This 50/50 chance shouldn’t be ignored, as it spells the difference between life and death.

If your employees unexpectedly collide with another vehicle, seatbelts prevent them from being thrown across the dashboard. Help your employees embrace defensive driving by reminding them to buckle their seatbelts immediately upon entering the car. If they’re traveling with companions, let them do the same for everyone’s safety.

Safe driving tip #4 - Avoid using mobile phones

When stuck in heavy traffic, it can be tempting to check your mobile phone, but this practice should be avoided. Your employees must learn to get rid of this driving distraction, as it takes their focus off the roadway. When driving, it’s important to look straight ahead at all times.

If their cars allow it, tell your employees to plug in their phones so the navigation map is displayed on the screen. This is so much better than stealing glances from below. If they struggle to drive without music, connecting to Bluetooth and shuffling their playlists is a practical solution.

More than simply giving them the dos and don’ts when driving, it’s important to facilitate conversations among your team. With SC Training’s Discussions feature, you can set up an inclusive learning environment. Access feedback in real-time and let your employees share their ideas through images, text, or videos. This avenue is useful for exchanging safe driving tips with their co-workers.

Safe driving tip #5 - Prepare the directions before driving

This fifth tip matters, especially when driving to an unknown place for the first time. Nowadays, most cars have built-in GPS, CarPlay, or Android Auto. The last two allow you to load the directions straight from the phone. Ideally, your employees should prepare the directions beforehand so they can stay focused while driving.

Planning a drive also saves fuel. Since the map reroutes as necessary, this lessens the chances of your employees making wrong turns or getting stuck in traffic for long hours. Your team can download free navigation apps like Google Maps or Waze. 

Safe driving tip #6 - Maintain your distance

If your employees have never heard of the two-second rule, now is the time to let them know. This refers to the recommended space to maintain between vehicles to prevent tailgating. While safe driving tips like this aren’t a blanket solution to eliminating road accidents, the two-second rule is a preventive measure drivers must take to lessen the chances of collision.

This rule works by finding a landmark among your surroundings, like a tree or a signpost. If it takes your employee less than two seconds to follow the car in front, who has just passed the landmark, it’s a sign to put more distance in between. 

Safe driving tip #7 - Check your side mirrors regularly

It’s crucial to remain aware of your surroundings when on the road. Though your employees must always focus on what’s ahead, there are many benefits to checking side mirrors regularly. For example, before turning and slowing down, quickly glancing at the side confirms whether it’s safe to proceed.

You can promote this practice and more through a custom driver safety program. Don’t forget to emphasize that when switching lanes, your employees must signal their lights first. If the side mirror shows no incoming cars, trucks, or motorcycles behind, they can now safely switch to the next lane.

Safe driving tip #8 - Don’t drive when sleepy

Another safe driving tip is to avoid driving when sleepy. Being on the road requires full concentration, so when your employees are sleep-deprived, they should consider commuting instead. Insufficient sleep can lead to reduced brain function, which puts the driver's concentration, attention, and reaction time at risk.

There are plenty of cases where accidents happen because the driver accidentally fell asleep on the road. In 2017, drowsy driving was the cause of over 91,000 police-reported crashes in the U.S. So don’t allow this to happen to your team! Offering safe driving tips for truck drivers like this will help them stay alert while on the move.

Safe driving tip #9 - Be cautious in bad weather

Driving in bad weather isn’t recommended, as it leads to slippery road conditions. Too much rain, snow, and ice affects the grips of tires on the pavement, leading to the car’s loss of control or skidding. 

As their employer, you must take a proactive stance to secure your employees’ welfare. You can do this by enrolling them in an accident prevention course or simply sending a message to your team’s channel during bad weather days to check their condition. If your arrangement allows it, encourage them to work from home instead.

Safe driving tip #10 - Expect other drivers to commit mistakes

Our final safe driving tip for employees is to expect other drivers to commit mistakes. The key to defensive driving is thinking one step ahead. This way, your employees can make the necessary preparations.

The reality is, there are no guarantees on the road. Anything can happen in a day, so it’s best to stay alert at all times. When driving, your employees must learn to read the traffic around them by anticipating the other driver’s next move and planning in advance. After all, it’s normal for humans to commit mistakes—and this applies to drivers too.

Deliver effective safe driving training with SC Training

Training your employees to become safe drivers is a worthy investment. Not only does this show that your company prioritizes their well-being, but it’ll also avoid unwarranted expenses like frequent vehicle maintenance and high fuel consumption.

If you're searching for a cost-effective platform to deliver road safety tips and other compliance training topics, look no further than SC Training. Its mobile-first approach makes it simple for your team to take their training anytime and anywhere.

With its robust creator tool, you can personalize your driver safety training course however you like. Thanks to the power of artificial intelligence, you can save hours of research time and instead focus on delivering engaging lessons to your learners.

Brainstorm safe driving tips for your next session. Join SC Training today.