An innovative approach to driver training in New Zealand

“Bigger bang for our buck. Were able to reach all of ourdrivers cost effectively nationwide”

The Driving Safer training program has proven results with clients achieving a 25% reduction in reported crash claims.

Why invest in driver training?

There are three fundamental reasons fleets should invest in driver training.

1. The preservation of human life.
2. To reduce the cost of straightening bent vehicles.
3. To reduce motor vehicle operating costs, including fuel, tyres and repairs and maintenance.

SurePlan has been capturing detailed company vehicle crash information for over seven years
and it became very clear that the majority of company vehicle crashes were the result of driver behaviour and attitude and not the driver’s skills.

Single vehicle crashes and hitting Stationary objects is by far the most common type of incident and although we are generalising, most single vehicle collisions are the result of an error in judgment, a lapse in concentration, a distraction or poor time management.

Based on our finding we felt to make a real impact on crash rates we needed to work with a company that could develop a training program that focuses on driver behaviour.

The Driving Safer training course encompasses seventeen topics, focusing on the most common causes of fleet motor vehicle incidents.

Max the animated training tutor takes the driver through each lesson, which is then followed by a check point assessment, which determines what the driver has learned.

Each driver is issued with an individual access to the training, making this training also measurable.

We asked some of our customers who have now been on the training course for twelve months, what they thought?

Stuart Sun,
Area Sales Manager
Philip Morris (New Zealand) Ltd

1. What made you choose to go with the Driving Safer training program over a more traditional style of driver training?

"Driving with Max" and "Fleet Protect" is a more cost effective program rather than skills based training resulting in drivers having the opportunity to revisit the site regularly.

2. Has this training added value to your organisations fleet risk management strategy and if so can you explain why ?

We now have the ability to specifically target development needs to at risk drivers rather than a blanket approach. This has assisted in channelling our resources as appropriate.

3. Has there been a change in your crash statistics or drivers behaviour since the completion of the training?

Incident rate appears to have dropped after completion of the online training. This has highlighted the need to revisit the online course at least twice a year as a minimum.

Catriona MacFarlane
HR Business
Partner - Nestlé NZ Ltd

1. What made you choose to go with the Driving Safer training program over a more traditional style of driver training?

Bigger bang for our buck. Were able to reach all of our drivers cost effectively nationwide as opposed to a few attending practical skills based training in Auckland. We also wanted to address the main types of incidents which were identified by SurePlan e.g. hitting stationary objects, windscreens etc.

2. Has this training added value to your organisations fleet risk management strategy and if so can you explain why?

Definitely added value to our organisation as we have experienced our first decrease in incidents in 6 years. The programme is a great opportunity to raise awareness re driver safety. We ran it campaign style for a month with incentives for completion. Also ended up with rivalry between offices to get the most people through the training. Managers have been contacting us to find out when we are running the training again and also including a driver safety objective in people performance plans.

3. Has there been a change in your crash statistics or drivers behaviour since the completion of the training?

Yes first decrease in incident rate in 6 years. We have been so pleased with the early results we will be running the training again with all company drivers in 2011.

You can find out more about the Driver training program by going to: www.drivingsafer.net, Fleet manager training and Crash management. Or call SurePlan on 0800 380 580.