Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3 - 14

SAFETY

One noteworthy contributing factor to
the increased claims severity statistics
involves the advancement of vehicle
safety technologies. While important
in reducing fatalities, the cost of these
technologies has made repairs and replacement for vehicles more expensive.
In addition, advances in medicine also
contribute to the rapid increase of auto
liability costs; the incredible benefits
from improved medicine that reduce
deaths among crash victims and allow
survivors with severe injuries, including Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and
other severe medical conditions, to live
longer, are becoming increasingly costly.
These developments, coupled with the
current legal environment, have significantly increased the average cost of a
vehicle accident.
The use of the so-called Reptile Theory - a strategy used at trial to persuade
the jury to react to evidence instinctively (focusing on safety and survival
of family and friends) by showing the
defendant's conduct endangers the
community at large, while placing less
focus on the plaintiff's actual injuries
- is becoming a common and often successful strategy for plaintiffs in vehicle
accident litigation today. As a result, the
stakes for commercial trucking organizations are only getting higher.

Reducing Risks Now
Many risk factors, like those outlined
above, likely contribute to the increasing frequency and severity of crashes
and their associated costs. Following are
some steps companies should consider
to help mitigate current and emerging
commercial transportation-related risks
and exposures:
+ Address the Smartphone Problem
- It is not a coincidence that the
spike in accident frequency occurred around the introduction of
smartphones and with the explosive
growth of smartphone use shortly
14

Supply Chain World VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3

thereafter. In 2017, handling a phone
while driving contributed to more
than 800 crash-induced deaths on
U.S. roads (see January 2019 IIHS
report). To reduce phone-related
distractions, companies can enforce
a zero-tolerance policy for phone
usage in truck cabs. Some firms
are already piloting technologies
that can block cell signal in transportation vehicles to eliminate the
driver's temptation altogether.
+ Don't Ignore Exhaustion - Organizations can be more mindful of the
mental and physical toll driving long
distances can have on workers. This
is especially important given the
truck driver shortage the industry
is experiencing. Factors such as demographics and age - most drivers
are around 50, and all but a small
percentage are men - contributed
to a shortage of about 36,500 drivers
in 2016. With fewer truck drivers on
the road, it is easier to inadvertently
overbook employees. Shifts must
allow for sufficient rest between
drives, and leaders should encourage and empower drivers to speak
up if they are not feeling well enough
to get behind the wheel.
+ Integrate Driver Assistance Technology - More common in larger
fleets, safety technology - including, but not limited to, rear cameras,
collision avoidance systems, blind
spot detection and lane departure warning systems - can help
drivers avoid crashes. For example,
automatic braking technology can
reduce rear-end accidents significantly. There is a misconception
that all driver assistance technology
is extremely expensive. While that
is the case for some devices, it is not
true for all, and experience shows
that it is well worth the investment.
Companies should look into technologies that best suit their needs.

+ Training - With the shortage in
available truck drivers, training becomes even more important. Small
investments in time and resources
can yield large benefits. Companies
can install technology (sometimes
as simple as in-vehicle cameras) to
help evaluate how well drivers are
doing on the road. Organizations
may find that many of their claims
comes from a small percentage of
their drivers. Taking steps to better
train and educate these drivers can
help reduce risk for both personnel
and companies alike.

Reducing Future Risk
The industry is moving towards the use
of semi-autonomous and, eventually,
fully-autonomous vehicles. In theory,
by removing the human element, the industry will potentially see fewer crashes
and therefore, fewer injuries and claims.
This evolution will most likely take place
Safety is a value that we must
work together to promote and
strengthen, both on and off of
the road.
Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supply Chain World - Volume 7, Issue 3
