At Fleetcoach, we really, truly believe, that we can help make the roads a safer place for everyone who uses them. We have a long history of carrying out groundbreaking research on the topic of driving, and are as passionate as ever about giving everyone the skills to be better drivers.
Our Head of Research Dr Robert Isler says that the studies he has led and been involved with, has given him 4 key learnings.
1). We steer in the direction we look: A lot of our work has been around where people look when they drive. It’s been proven that risky drivers aren’t great at scanning for hazards, and that safer, more skilled drivers know to look well ahead of the car and keep their eyes moving. We also discovered that people steer in the direction they look in, which of course is essential information for driver training!
2). Most drivers are poorly calibrated. That means that people think they’re much better than they actually are at driving. They’re overconfident, and that’s not a good thing!
3). Training needs to use a coaching approach. Coaching works. Top-down, instructional, patronising teaching, doesn’t.
4). Almost everyone can improve. That means that no matter what your skills are like behind the wheel, you can be a better, smoother, safer and more skilful driver.
"On top of this", Dr Isler says, "we already know how important ‘higher-level driving skills’ are." These are things like assessing risk, making good decisions around the management of that risk, and scanning for risky situations before it’s too late.
"Plus, we also know that Health and Safety Legislation in New Zealand designates work vehicles as workplaces. So this makes it impossible to avoid the responsibility of knowing what the hazards are that face your drivers on a daily basis. The best way to address these hazards, is to train your drivers, with coaching that will stick."
So we've put together all of the above discoveries, and created a programme that really works. Every single one of the learnings have culminated in the development of Fleetcoach. It teaches the important skills, using a coaching approach and helps managers and directors comply with their health and safety obligations. And because we know that every driver can improve their skill level, we're excited about the fact that we can really make a difference.
To find out more about the Fleetcoach training programme, just get in touch!
