Improved Workplace Awareness Helps Traffic Fatalities Trend Downward

Employers and employees need to address the issues associated with automobile accidents as part of their daily management routine. A heightened awareness of automobile safety in the workplace has resulted in greatly improved fatality results. In 2010, 32,788 people lost their lives in vehicle accidents - down nearly 10,000 in the last decade. Fourteen percent of workplace fatalities result from automobile accidents. That is also down from 22 percent just 10 years ago. While this trend is moving in the right direction, the automobile exposure to a business offers one of the most serious liability exposures that can be faced.


Performance Management consultants recommend compliance with the 4-A’s of driving:

Anticipate what could possibly go wrong and focus on driving to avoid mishaps
Adjust to changing circumstances such as traffic congestion or changing weather
Assume nothing - don’t automatically assume that traffic will stay moving or a car won’t change lanes into your path
Allow no distractions - drivers must avoid anything that takes their focus off of driving

Not only can the strict adherence to an automobile safety program help relieve a business from a serious claim, maintaining drivers with good records reflect positively on the business’ auto insurance premiums.

Performance Management predicts that if employers would institute just two actions, implement standards of practice for driving and educate employees about good driving principles and management’s expectations, accidents would be reduced by more than 50 percent.

Renting A Car

When you rent a car, you are liable for injuries and property damage you cause to others, and damage to the rental car whether it’s your fault or not. With some restrictions, your insurance policy will cover you in your policy territory (United States, its possessions and territories, and Canada) if you injure someone or their property. In most cases, your auto policy will also cover damage to the rental car, but you must carry comprehensive and collision coverage on at least one of your covered autos.

If you plan on your credit card covering damage to your rental car, read the fine print. Some only provide coverage after you prove there is no coverage under your personal policy. Some cards actually have dollar limitations and very restrictive coverage.

Preparing for Winter

Wintertime and winter weather can be tremendous fun, but cold and snow can also pose danger. Slippery roads, downed power lines and limbs, and freezing cold temperatures all bring an added measure of suspense to our daily activities. There are simple steps you can take that will take the chill off your wintertime experience.

In your car. It is not enough to throw a safety kit, including emergency equipment such as blankets, candles, a shovel and traction aids into the trunk of your car and think that you are ready for operating your vehicle in inclement weather. The single most important thing we can do while driving in severe winter conditions is to slow down. A safe speed for conditions might be well under the posted speed limit. Triple the normal driving distance between you and the car in front of you. If your vehicle begins to slip, immediately take your foot off the accelerator and steer gently in the direction you want the car to go.

If your car gets stuck, clear the snow in front of and behind your tires and spread sand, kitty litter or traction mats in the front and back of your tires. Gently accelerate until you feel the tires begin to spin. Put the car in reverse and back up slowly until stopped by the snow. Rock forward again using a low, steady speed.

At home. Have your heating system inspected to make sure it is working properly. If you have an alternative heating source, it should be UL approved and inspected before using.

Good insulation will also help if power is lost. Check for possible air leaks around doors and windows. Seal electrical outlets and switches on outside walls. Stock up on easy to prepare food, first aid supplies, batteries, flashlights and a battery-operated radio.

If you do get snowed in at home and the situation isn’t dire, just relax and preserve heat by hanging blankets over windows and doors. If you use a supplemental heating device, make sure it is UL approved, in good operating condition and maintaining safe distance from flammable items.

Outside. Make sure to remove garden hoses from outside faucets. Hopefully, you remembered to clean your gutters of leaves and debris. Better yet, install gutter guards. These can help keep snow and ice from building up, which can form ice damns and damage your house. Outside heating appliances like heat pumps must be clear of snow and debris to work efficiently.

If you have to go outside, wear tight and layered clothing and sturdy watertight shoes. Make sure to cover exposed parts of the body by wearing hats, gloves and scarves. Failure to protect skin and prolonged exposure to the cold can result in frostbite. The nose, cheeks, ears, fingers and toes (your extremities) are most commonly affected.

Buckle Up Your Best Friend

Dogs are a man’s best friend. So it only makes sense that dogs often travel in vehicles. Sometimes those are trips that are necessary for the dog such as doggy daycare or the vet. However, a lot of the time they are just to keep the driver company as they drive around town or go on a short road trip.

Dogs can be great companions as you drive around in your vehicle but they can also be great distractions. There are times you will see dogs sitting on the laps of the drivers or sitting dead center of the back seat which blocks the driver’s view out of the rear of the car.

In an accident dogs can also be a major hazard. When auto accidents happen they often stop a vehicle cold in its tracks. However, anything not buckled into the vehicle continues to travel at the speed the vehicle was traveling. Often, dogs are not strapped in and therefore become a large moving object in your vehicle. This can cause major damage to your pet as well as possibly to you or anyone else in the vehicle. It is best to have a dog strapped into your car, not only for your dog’s safety but also for your safety and for the safety of those in your vehicle. Visit a pet store near you and pick up an attachment that enables you to comfortably seatbelt in your dog.