How to Reduce Driver Risk Using Behaviour Change Workshops

Once your drivers have undertaken a behavioural risk assessment such as the Driver Risk Index™, the next step in the risk management process is to implement an appropriate intervention in order to mitigate the risks identified. The use of driver workshops for up to 16 drivers is a popular option for many organisations, along with one to one driver coaching and e-learning.

The group discussion method as a behavioural change intervention is based on the classical social psychological experiment first reported by Lewin (1947, 1958). Lewin showed that behaviour changed more after taking part in a group discussion compared with listening to a lecture.

Misumi (1982, 1989) was the first to report how the discussion method influenced driver performance showing an 80{5fc9e21ecd349b40961ecfaabf0e965f9efa05e9afba4e3b1e757228720c24ce} decrease in crashes after a 10 month follow- up study. In a second experiment employees and supervisors met for 50 minutes once a week and made decisions about work arrangements and over a ten year period, the crash rate fell to 3{5fc9e21ecd349b40961ecfaabf0e965f9efa05e9afba4e3b1e757228720c24ce} compared to baseline. In a study by Salminen (2008) 19 teams of drivers made decisions on commitments to change their driving behaviour. In an eight year follow up study traffic-related accidents decreased by 72{5fc9e21ecd349b40961ecfaabf0e965f9efa05e9afba4e3b1e757228720c24ce}.

To be succesful, the structure and content of the group discussion must be designed based on behavioural principles. At DriverMetrics® we find a combination of the Driver Risk Index™ assessment and  Insight into Action™ workshops to be very effective. Equipped with a Driver Risk Index™ profile report for each driver attending the workshop, a skilled facilitator can maximize the group dynamic to enable individuals to reflect on their behaviour behind the wheel; understand different perspectives and to change their high risk behaviours.