Stress and the Modern Mobile Worker
By Matthew Betz, Vice President Business Development, Fleet at Motus, LLC
“It’s not the stress that kills you, it’s our reaction to it” – Hans Selye
Most people, and certainly all of those involved in fleet, know the dangers of driving while impaired. And most people recognize major causes of impairment to be things like alcohol and drugs. Not as well understood is the driving impairment caused by stress. And according to major studies, stress can cause distraction equal to, or greater than an intense phone call. This creates an atmosphere where poor decisions, road rage and crashes become more likely.
Sources of stress
When we think about sources of stress for the Modern Mobile Worker, it’s easy to understand how major life events like a death in the family, divorce or other personal problems can create short term stress that carries over into our work life. In addition, work related sources of stress, like corporate mergers, a need for higher sales numbers, or sales call quotas can create an atmosphere of stress that is much longer lasting. All of this means that as fleet professionals we need to be aware of the stressors and do whatever we can to reduce them.
Fleet & Driver Care Launch ‘Insurance Plus’
By Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor
Hans Damen, the veteran international fleet consultant, and FleetVision partner, has formed a new partnership, Fleet & Driver Care, with Eelco Van de Wiel, president of Fleet Insurance, a Netherlands-based consultancy.
Fleet & Driver Care has recently introduced Insurance Plus, a program that allows large multinationals to identify cost savings in their insurance programs and reinvest these savings into driver behavior programs, which, they say, will yield substantial savings. As of now, Insurance Plus is available only in Europe, but Damen says that the company is looking at the option of expanding to the U.S. “At the moment, we are close to an agreement with a large European multinational."
Autonomics: Americans Are Paying More for Cars
The blistering pace of recent car sales has been one of the U.S. economy’s more bullish indicators. There’s new evidence that the auto industry is even hotter than many thought.
The car world tends to focus on units sold, which is to say the total number of vehicles rolling out of dealerships during any given period. This year, Americans are on pace to buy about 16.4 million vehicles, a 6 percent increase from 2013 and the most purchased in the nation since 2006.
Here’s the development no one is mentioning: Americans are spending a whole lot more money per car.
Voters Reject Gas Taxes, Speed Cameras
Voters on Tuesday across the country rejected speed cameras, higher gas taxes and funds for new light rail as automakers prepare for a new Republican controlled Congress.
Automakers are bracing for auto safety legislation next year in the wake of a series of high-profile recalls linked to defective General Motors cars and Takata airbags — and a reform bill could be attached to a highway re-authorization bill next spring.
Drowsy Driving Involved In 21 Percent Of Fatal Car Accidents
In the wake of a fatal accident that nearly claimed the life of comedian Tracy Morgan earlier this year, tired truckers received considerably scrutiny from Congress and safety advocates. On Monday, AAA released a new study that served as a reminder that it's not just tired truckers that pose a threat on U.S. roads. It's the rest of us too.
Drowsy driving is involved in more than 21 percent of all fatal accidents, according to the organization's Foundation for Traffic Safety, which says that, to this point, the number of traffic deaths pinned on tired drivers has been significantly underreported.
READ MORE to learn about the study.
