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5 Road Safety Tips for your Delivery Team

Five essential tips to bolster driver safety for delivery businesses in any industry.

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The majority of traffic accidents are, of course, unintended. They are usually caused by a temporary lack of consciousness, weary drivers, or reckless drivers behind the wheel.

Driving schools educate the majority of the critical road safety tips to combat such difficulties. However, they may overlook certain important basic road safety precautions, particularly for field service business representatives and delivery drivers.

These drivers require further training since their actions have ramifications for their own life and the lives of others, and they are responsible for their employers’ reputation.

The firm bears a greater responsibility than the driver of the vehicle. As a result, if you manage a field service company, make sure your drivers or field reps are familiar with these five road safety tips that aren’t typically taught in driving schools.

Table of Contents

  • Road Safety Tip #1: Knowing the route is critical
  • Road Safety Tip #2: Speed limits exist for a reason
  • Road Safety Tip #3: When you’re tired or sleepy, take a break and rest
  • Road Safety Tip #4: Stay on top of vehicle maintenance
  • Road Safety Tip #5: Avoid road rage
  • Conclusion

Road Safety Tip #1: Knowing the route is critical

At a cross-section, you’ll frequently observe cars making a sharp turn or quickly slowing down. When a driver is unsure which road to take and wants to make a rapid decision, this occurs.

Such conduct can result in auto pile-ups when travelling at high speeds on highways. After all, it only takes one vehicle and one driver’s error to produce a multi-car collision. As a result, as a crucial road safety advice, make sure your drivers know where they’re going.

Your drivers may use Google Maps to plan their route, but that’s only useful for getting from point A to point B. As a result, if your drivers must make many stops and you must design routes for several drivers, it’s a massive no-no.

Rather, invest in route optimization software such as EasyRoutes, which automates and streamlines route design. The multi-stop route planner in EasyRoutes allows you to create routes while taking into account different constraints that may affect the paths of your field service agents.

Weather conditions, traffic, left turns, sunrise and sunset timing, one-ways, and avoidance zones are all elements to consider.

EasyRoutes also guarantees that your drivers are aware of the quickest and shortest routes, as well as the best driving directions, from one location to another.

They will not become stranded on the road or frustrated as a result of bad directions. Instead, they’ll always make on-time deliveries or be on time for appointments.

Road Safety Tip #2: Speed limits exist for a reason

Did you know that increasing your speed by 5% increases your chances of a deadly collision by 20%?

It may be tempting to disregard speed limits in the rush to deliver products, but this can be harmful.

Make sure that all of your drivers are aware of this crucial road safety tip. In order to arrive to their destination quickly, they should never violate the speed limits.

It is also your responsibility to guarantee that your driver is not overworked and consequently has to rush on the roads.

The EasyRoutes route planner, which helps you plan the quickest routes, allows you to balance routes so no one driver is doing any more work than the others.

Road Safety Tip #3: When you’re tired or sleepy, take a break and rest

This is something that no driving school should have to teach because it is one of the most basic road safety rules that everyone should know. However, research show that drowsy driving causes around 328,000 crashes each year. A large number of these collisions result in fatalities and long-term injuries.

Ensure that your drivers are well-rested and alert anytime they are behind the wheel. This is, once again, your obligation as much as your drivers. You must make certain that the drivers have appropriate time off between shifts to rest.

Allow them to take short breaks when driving long distances so they don’t fall asleep behind the wheel.

EasyRoutes has a feature called “Time per Stop” that lets you schedule in a break for your driver on their route.

Road Safety Tip #4: Stay on top of vehicle maintenance

One of the most crucial road safety tips for drivers is to keep your eyes on the road. Vehicle servicing and maintenance are critical not only for extending the vehicle’s lifespan, but also for ensuring road safety.

If there are any difficulties with your car, the mechanic will let you know during routine maintenance. Even seemingly minor concerns, such as uneven tire pressure, faulty brake pads, or an overheated engine, can result in traffic dangers.

Your drivers will be safer if they receive regular maintenance and servicing. So, remind your delivery drivers that they must notify you as soon as they notice anything wrong with their vehicles.

Road Safety Tip #5: Avoid road rage

Each year, aggressive driving and road rage are two of the most common causes of deadly accidents.

Aside from creating accidents, road rage or road violence by any of your drivers will not add to the brand value of your field service company. As a result, add this road safety suggestion in your driver’s manual.

It’s also a good idea to teach your drivers how to deal with road rage if they come across a violent driver on the road. Here are some suggestions:

  • Keep an eye out on the road for aggressive drivers and stay out of their way. Stop for a time if feasible, let them pass, and then continue on your way. This allows you to keep as far away from aggressive drivers as possible.
  • If your driver becomes involved in a road rage incident, request that he or she remain calm and maintain a safe distance from the angry driver.

The two road safety tips listed above have the potential to save your drivers’ lives while also improving the reputation of your field service company.

Conclusion

This list of road safety tips is by no means complete. Apart from the ones taught in driving schools, these are the most crucial ones. Make sure that all of your drivers follow these guidelines to ensure maximum road safety.

Get EasyRoutes route optimizer on the Shopify App Store
Get EasyRoutes route optimizer on the Shopify App Store

About Roundtrip

Roundtrip's mission is to equip every business with the software tools they need to deliver products to their customers in a delightful way. Thousands of worldwide choose EasyRoutes to power their local deliveries across dozens of product categories, from meal kits and groceries to coffee, cupcakes, kibble, and so much more. Our easy-to-use route planning and delivery optimization app is certified Built for Shopify, a two-time Shopify staff pick, and the top rated local delivery app on the Shopify App Store.

"We've been testing quite a few route planning apps since the launch of our startup (about a year and a half), and this has been the best app by far."
Ortaliza
Microgreen delivery in Canada 🇨🇦
Designed to make deliveries easy