Awareness on the Road

From Professionals to Amateurs: Why We All Share the Same Road

The division of drivers into "professional" and "non-professional" is losing its relevance today. As Olga Tikhomirnova, Senior Safety Manager, notes, all road users operate in the same environment. Every year, 1.3 million people die on the world's roads, and up to 50 million are injured. Lack of experience is a significant risk factor, but even experienced drivers develop dangerous habits over time. The main tool in the fight against accidents is awareness.

Why Do Drivers Break the Rules?

The presentation details the reasons for traffic violations. Often, it is not malicious intent, but a combination of factors:

• Lack of information and understanding: drivers may not realize the actual risks of their actions.
• Poor planning and rushing: the desire to get everything done, typical of many professions (e.g., merchandisers or taxi drivers), leads to dangerous maneuvers.
• Inattention and distraction: attention deficit syndrome, use of gadgets, or internal worries reduce concentration.
• Psychological factors: irritation, lack of restraint, the desire to stand out on the road, or being unprepared for the route.

Understanding these reasons allows companies to build an effective prevention system, rather than simply punishing for violations.

Analyzing Violations: From Fines to Friendly Conversations

The speaker shows, using her company as an example, how important it is to analyze every violation, even a minor speeding offense (e.g., 83 km/h in a 60 km/h zone). This approach is based on the safety pyramid: at the bottom are potential incidents, and at the top are fatalities. Analyzing a violation is not a trial, but a friendly, trusting conversation involving the driver themselves, their direct supervisor, an HR representative, and a safety manager. The goal is to understand what was in the employee's mind at the time of the violation and to prevent more serious consequences in the future.

Tools for Increasing Awareness: Training and Communication

To form a culture of safe driving, the company uses a comprehensive approach:

• Transport use policy: clear rules, including mandatory external defensive driving training for employees using personal cars for work purposes.
• Regular communications: seasonal safety bulletins (winter/summer driving), team discussions, contests involving families.
• Programs and audits: the "Return Alive" program, the "First Line of Defense" audit for managers, analysis of potential incidents (near-misses).
• Driver risk index: an assessment system that includes questionnaires, assignment of training modules depending on identified risks, and a final discussion with a defensive driving trainer.

It is important that many of these tools do not require significant financial costs, but they do require engagement and belief in their work from safety professionals and managers.

What You Will Learn from This Webinar:

• How to effectively analyze traffic violations by employees to prevent serious accidents?
• What communication and training tools help increase driver awareness?
• How does the driver risk index assessment system work and how does it help reduce accident rates?
• How to combat the dangerous habits of drivers who have transitioned from private driving to a corporate fleet?
• How does leadership culture affect road safety and what to do if a manager asks a driver to break the rules for the sake of speed?