By Art Liggio
January 23, 2022
It’s that time of the year when many of us challenge ourselves to take stock of the past twelve months and set goals for the year ahead. Most often these reflections and resolutions are of a personal nature, however, this is also a great opportunity to start off the new year with a commitment to achieve your company’s fleet safety goals and make a meaningful difference for your organization and drivers.
With three Ace’s in-hand: PACE, SPACE and GRACE you can help each driver in your fleet and everyone else in your organization realize their own personal resolutions for the year to be safer behind the wheel. Are you ready to play the right cards?
PACE, SPACE and GRACE, are the aces up your sleeve that simplify how we can recall critical safe driving information. When regularly employed, these techniques and habits have the potential to eliminate the risk factors that are the most common failure points contributing to crash events. So, let’s deal the cards and look at each one.
PACE
No secret here, speed kills. With one word, you can remind drivers to maintain acceptable, safe speeds. Drivers will think of “pace” throughout the day and remember why it is important to them and your company’s commitment to safety. This first “ace” also provides you with the opportunity to introduce other related topics such as journey management.
SPACE
Research has shown that if a driver has only one more second to react and knows what to do with it, more than 90 percent of crashes can be avoided. Proper space management is a key in creating this additional time and requires the consistent use of the “Three-Second” rule. Drivers will have more time to react to changing traffic patterns and potential hazards when they maintain a reasonable safety cushion around their vehicle. The messaging around “space” can also include identifying potential hazards early on by using proper scanning techniques.
GRACE
Driving is a social activity. We share the road and are constantly interacting with others. Our ability to reach a destination safely is done within a framework of cooperation with fellow travelers. To drive with “grace” means driving in a responsible manner and being mindful of other factors that can undermine the well-being of others. Distracted driving and aggressive driving probably come to mind, but there are other important considerations that can help increase everyone’s safety. For instance, using turn signals to let other drivers know your intentions, obeying traffic signs or lightly pressing the brake pedal early on, engaging the brake lights to alert other drivers you’re preparing to stop.
PACE, SPACE and GRACE is a fun and simple way to keep road safety top of mind. These three memorable and easy-to-adopt aces contain useful techniques to help reduce your fleet’s crash rates.
You can make sure this new year comes up safety aces for your drivers by promoting PACE, SPACE and GRACE. Ask them to commit to these concepts and follow up regularly with additional safety information that supports these messages. Have a happy and safe New Year out on the road!
About the Author
As managing owner, Art Liggio is the driving force behind the company’s mission. He guides the strategic direction of Driving Dynamics and is actively involved in helping clients improve their fleet safety and driver risk management performance.