Getting drivers to take more responsibility for their actions behind the wheel is the key to reducing a fleet’s risk exposure.

According to Dr Lisa Dorn of the Driving Research Group at Cranfield University, the traditional training approach which centres on vehicle handling skills does not generally work when it comes to reducing risk.

Instead, analysing the driver and his or her approach to driving is the best way to reduce risk.

Speaking at ACFO’s London East meeting, Dr Dorn said: “Poor vehicle handling skills are not responsible for most crashes – poor hazard awareness and driver behaviour is.

“Fleets have got to think carefully about driver training. After all, driving is the most highly-skilled thing a member of staff will do all day.

“Distraction is the biggest killer on the roads, so looking at behaviour which leads to distraction is they key.

“When drivers are stressed, such as being under time pressure, they are not hazard aware and won’t use their mirrors or look further ahead on the road.”

Drive & Survive managing director Seb Goldin agreed, saying: “Driver training is much more than learning driving basics in a blanket approach. An overall driver risk management programme is tailor-made and can assess an individual’s attitude to driving situations, the environment they drive in, and the risk this combination poses, even before they even step into a vehicle.

“Driver training is provided on the basis of this assessment, using a range of online and on-road training products. A risk management programme not only ensures a safer driver, but also leads to many environmental and economic benefits for a business as well.”

Dr Dorn is currently working on the EU’s Hermes project, designed to develop more efficient coaching for driving instructors. As a result of this, the group will be putting together free modules for the industry to help instructors develop some of the skills they need to ensure drivers self-reflect and develop a better understanding of how their personal characteristics influence their risk.

She is also part of the team that put together Cranfield University’s DriverMetrics scheme and its driver risk index – a psychometric risk assessment which identifies behaviour and attitudes that increase the risk of at-work crashes, and then suggests targeted education.

DriverMetrics is operated in the UK by multi-Fleet News Award winning company Peak Performance and is used by some of the largest leasing companies.

For more information, go to www.drivermetrics.co.uk