Here at Fleetcoach, we have developed a new way of implementing professional driving training. It’s been built on years of research and experience, but it’s quite new and different to what has been done before. This means we often get questions from people about how it works and why we’ve done things the way we have, so we thought we’d start collecting these up and putting them together into a series of blog posts. This is the second in the series, you can read the first one here.
Some of the below answers give you an insight into the kind of training Fleetcoach provides, or they might pique your interest further. Have you got a question for us?
Why does Fleetcoach use a driver’s point of view?
One of the founding principles of the Fleetcoach driver training method, is that the simulations are all filmed from the driver’s perspective. Why is this? Research has shown that people learn better when given the information in a way they can relate to, that doesn’t require a lot of translation before it’s relevant to them. In other words, we aren’t birds, so why would we look at the road from a bird’s perspective? Here’s an example: Take this explanation of intersections and how to navigate them, compared with this set of simulations asking you to put yourself into the driver’s position – where you will actually be when you’re having to make the decision in reality. Which do you find easier? Which do you think you’ll remember? Here’s some more information about video simulations and how they work for driver training.
How much of a carrot/stick situation should we be enforcing with driver training in the workplace?
Ultimately, it is your responsibility as a manager or director to make sure that your staff are safe, and complying with regulations. We need to go one step further than this though: the best results will be achieved if you are able to develop a robust safety culture within your workplace. This can only happen if everyone takes equal responsibility for the health and safety requirements, including your staff themselves. If they are able to understand the necessity, and the resources are made available to them, it’s unlikely that they’ll put up a strong opposition to completing the necessary training. If done at the employee’s ultimate initiative, they will learn more, feel happier doing it, and the learning will stick. Your staff are likely to follow your lead on this one, so make sure they know you are fully on board, and believe in the importance of training.
If I suspect that one of my drivers is likely to take risks on the road, what is my responsibility?
The new Health and Safety laws, due to come into force in2015, mean that directors will have a personal obligation to exercise due diligence and keep people safe, and that they may be personally liable if they don’t. It’s not just about being aware of what’s going on, it’s also about providing leadership to move beyond compliance, and to following best practice. What this means, is that if you have reasonable cause to think one of your employees is at risk on the road, whether through their own actions or not you have to do something. You can contact us for a free Health and Safety compliance check and then you can insist on driver training. Fleetcoach professional driver training addresses aspects like attitude, so you know you are doing all you can.
Read our blog here for more information on the law change.
