DriverMetrics® has released a new date for the online version of its Driver Coaching Programme.

The programme is based on the popular classroom based version, which has trained over 1,000 professionals over the past 15 years, and was ‘Highly Commended’ at the 2019 Brake UK Fleet Safety Awards.

Facilitated by DriverMetrics® Research Director, Dr Lisa Dorn and hosted via online conferencing, the programme offers driver trainers and risk management professionals an in-depth understanding of DriverMetrics Risk Assessment reports and the use of coaching techniques to address the behavioural issues in driver risk.

The new date is:

12-13th April 2022.

Participants will learn how to understand the psychological principles that underpin driver behaviour; identify the behavioural factors that influence crash risk; interpret Driver Risk Index™ reports to an advanced level and discover practical strategies that influence driver behaviour and mitigate risk. Finally, all participants will be given practical advice on devising and implementing a coaching goals plan.

Further details

The next DriverMetrics® Management Information System webinar will be held on 26th November at 1000am (UK). Hosted by Dr Julie Gandolfi, the webinar will offer training in understanding and using the MIS dashboard to manage your fleet risk management programme.

Topics covered include: credits, allocating and deallocating assignments, filtering and emailing drivers, setting up email templates and using groups and tags.

DriverMetrics® clients can attend the event free of charge. Please email contact@drivermetrics.com to reserve your place.

DriverMetrics® is hosting a complimentary webinar to help fleets recruit safer drivers.

Recruiting Safer Drivers: An Expert Webinar, on 29th July at 1100, will assist managers in using best practice and research in order to develop driver selection systems that can predict whether the applicants they select are likely to be safer drivers.

Dr Julie Gandolfi, Head of Data Analytics at  DriverMetrics®, said: “Regardless of sector or vehicle type, organisations recruiting new drivers have a range of options available to help them recruit safe drivers. This webinar will review the options available and provide specific advice on implementing a safe driver recruitment strategy. Given the current demand for delivery drivers, we will also cover the specific issue of safely converting car drivers to safe van drivers,  and identifying potential risks for new starters on HGV induction programmes”.

The webinar will help managers to:

• Understand the research evidence for recruiting and selecting safe drivers.
• Discover the challenges associated with traditional driver selection methods.
• Learn how to use psychometric assessments to improve selection and recruitment.

Registration is now open at:

https://resources.drivermetrics.com/recruitsafe/

DriverMetrics® Research Director, Dr Lisa Dorn has contributed a chapter to the prestigious reference text, the International Encyclopedia of Transportation.

Dr Dorn’s chapter focuses on ‘Driver Stress and Driving Performance’. It discusses individual differences in driver stress outcomes and its impact on driving performance from a transactional perspective and its use for the targeted delivery of fleet safety interventions via DriverMetrics®.

The chapter draws on the extensive research programme involved in the development of DriverMetrics® risk assessment – the Driver Risk Index™.

Read more

‘Driver Stress and Driving Performance’ can be accessed at:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081026717107912 (Registration/Payment Required)

During the pandemic, companies have faced new challenges as their employees’ well-being, and mental health have suffered following adjustments to unexpected changes. Worries about friends and family, feelings of stress, sadness, confusion and negativity have affected job performance. Social isolation is necessary to control the spread of the virus but the degree to which individuals are interconnected in the workplace, has a powerful impact on their health and wellbeing. 

A new white paper authored by DriverMetrics® Research Director, Dr Lisa Dorn, is designed to help managers understand key concepts around mental health and its impact in the workplace. In particular, it focuses on the effect that poor mental health has on driver behaviour and provides practical advice on managing and improving fleet safety. 

Dr Dorn said: “A major issue with poor mental health is that impairments in driving performance can occur with slower reaction time, divided attention, slower reaction to changing speeds when following another vehicle, and poor lane positioning. These difficulties are likely to impact drivers’ risk of collision. The good news is that there are practical measures that managers can take to improve well-being when driving for work, and in doing so, improve fleet driver safety’.

‘Improving Driver Well-being: A Guide for Managers’ is now available via free download on the DriverMetrics® website at: resources.drivermetrics.com/wellbeing

DriverMetrics® has published a new case study of the work with Arriva, that led to the development of the Bus Driver Risk Index™ and improvements in driver safety within the Arriva fleet.

With a history dating back to 1938, Arriva has continuously adapted and evolved to become a leading provider of passenger transport services. Arriva operates 17,000 buses across 14 European countries

The ESRC and the Technology Strategy Board co-sponsored a nine year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Arriva Passenger Services and Cranfield University. The research programme aimed to improve bus driver training, safety awareness and safety culture throughout the Arriva organisation.

Arriva and Cranfield University received the International Prince Michael Award for Road Safety for this project.

Read more about the improvements to bus driver safety at Arriva in the case study.