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Loss Lessons
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ADJUST TO WHAT YOU SEE
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PestSure Members,
A PestSure auto liability claim resulted when our driver did
not adjust to the situation on the roadway. A street sweeper
vehicle pulled from the side of road into the roadway, slowing
down traffic behind it. A postal vehicle slowed to allow the
sweeper to come onto the road. Our driver did not slow to
allow for entry of the sweeper vehicle and subsequently rear
ended the postal vehicle pushing it into the sweeper.
The police report placed fault on our driver for following
too close. We conducted an investigation to determine if the
owner of the sweeper vehicle might share in the negligence.
Our investigation resulted in the same conclusion: our driver
did not yield to the traffic situation and was 100% at fault
for the traffic accident.
Besides the loss to our vehicle and our driver injury, two
other people were injured in this avoidable auto accident.
A large vehicle conducting road maintenance should be given
the right of way. Our driver failed to adjust to a very obvious,
developing change in traffic. He did not adjust to what he
saw but rather continued directly into the situation and caused
a needless traffic accident.
Lesson:
- Discuss driving techniques as taught in Eos: SAFE
Driver Improvement™
with your drivers at least weekly
- Develop a system for in-cab assessments or ride-alongs
to identify poor driving habits (following too close,
failure to adjust, speeding, distractions, etc.) before
they result in an accident
- Encourage your technicians to share "near
miss" experiences with you or with the group so that
everyone can benefit from the knowledge gained by a lesson
learned
- Develop a driving safety bulletin board and encourage
your employees to post family pictures to remind us all
of why we need to arrive home safely every day
Remind your technicians that the person "at fault"
in a traffic accident will make little difference to their
family or to you, if they do not live to tell about it or
if they are left disabled. Discuss methods to protect yourself
from the mistakes of others on the roadway at all times and
be persistent and diligent in your training of techniques.
Linda Midyett
Area Manager
Safety and Loss Prevention, PestSure
Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc.
14241 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, TX 75254
972.663.6199
800.326.6203 |
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