NETS-sponsored benchmark of 350,000 passenger vehicles, 6.78 billion miles of travel yields best practices in fleet safety

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Large road safety study shows there is STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Traffic crashes are the number one cause of workplace death and injury. Now, a study of 36 leading companies with a combined fleet of 350,000 passenger vehicles that logged nearly seven billion miles in 2008, has yielded best practices of effective road safety programs.

The STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Fleet Benchmarking Study, sponsored by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), is the largest benchmarking of fleet passenger vehicle safety ever conducted by the organization. The study is based on standardized data collected by participating organizations over a 12-month period.

The study revealed a number of proactive best practices that are common among the companies with the lowest employee crash rates, including:

  • Crashes per million miles (CPMM) is tracked monthly.
  • Top performing companies publish a monthly road safety “Scorecard.”
  • Safety is part of the corporate credo of the lowest CPPM companies.
  • Leading companies are more likely to ban the use of mobile phones– hand-held and hands-free – while employees are driving on company business.
  • Lessons learned following a serious collision are shared with the entire organization.

The study group revealed a crash rate per million miles that ranged from less than one to more than 16. All survey responses were reported anonymously with numbers assigned to participants so they could see where they ranked against the others. No company names were revealed.

In its on-going mission to reduce workplace traffic fatalities and injuries, NETS brought together the STRENGTH IN NUMBERS road safety benchmark study participants at a conference in Charlottesville, Va. to review the latest findings. Among the participants were global leaders in the pharmaceutical, packaging, food and beverage, oil and gas, manufacturing, and insurance industries. Representatives attending the conference came from all over the U.S., the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

“By sharing safety data across industries, companies and organizations learn which common program elements are found in the best road safety programs,” said Maureen Mazurek, director of human rights for Monsanto Company and chairperson of NETS. “Combining that with the opportunity to discuss specific challenges and share successes with other road safety professionals makes participation in the (STRENGTH IN NUMBERS) benchmarking study invaluable.”

About the STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Fleet Benchmarking Study

The STRENGTH IN NUMBERS road safety benchmarking study brings together companies willing to look at their own crash metrics, compare findings and share what they’ve learned. The program is for all types of companies and organizations— large or small, local or global, public or private. Once compiled, the resulting benchmarking data show how a company compares in terms of crash frequencies, taking into consideration road safety policies, driver training programs, crash review practices and more. Members identify best practices to put in place a cost effective, integrated, and comprehensive plan to improve their fleet-safety performance.

The STRENGTH IN NUMBERS fleet benchmarking program also includes access to road safety experts and an invitation to attend and participate in NETS’ annual Benchmark Best Practices Conference. For more information on the STRENGTH IN NUMBERS fleet benchmark program or on becoming a participant, visit the NETS website at www.trafficsafety.org.

About NETS

NETS is a 501(c)3 organization, a partnership between the U.S. federal government and leading companies including Abbott, AmeriFleet Transportation, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Chubb Group of Insurance, General Motors Company, Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Monsanto Company and UPS. Established in 1989, NETS is dedicated to improving the safety and health of employees, their families, and members of the communities in which they live and work by preventing traffic crashes that occur both on- and off-the-job. For more information on NETS, visit www.trafficsafety.org or send an email to jhanley@trafficsafety.org.