IDENTIFYING HIGH RISK DRIVERS

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1 Page 1 July 12, 2012 Joining NETS gives members the opportunity to participate in NETS Annual Fleet Safety Benchmark and NETS Forum programs. Since launching the Forum in 2010, NETS has compiled over sixty Forum questions and responses. These, and many other useful documents, are found in NETS Members only section of this website. What follows is one of the Forum questions and the responses provided by members. (Note: Company names have been redacted.) I hope you find it helpful and that it encourages you to contact me to learn more about a NETS membership. Please send me an to jhanley@trafficsafety.org if you want information on all the benefits of being a NETS member. Jack Hanley Executive Director NETS jhanley@trafficsafety.org

2 1 wants to establish a standardized point system for identifying high risk drivers. Please ask NETS members to provide their high risk assessment programs, including the points they assign for different driving violations, the high risk driver points threshold and the period used in summing the points. Please also ask members how MVRs are used as part of this process. Page 2 2 For our company, we use a Combination of MVR data and Company Vehicle Collision History to develop a Risk Profile. We provide remediation guidance that aligns to both our general motor vehicle operation policy and the risk profile. In general, intervention is based upon the historical record for the prior 36 months. Interventions are progressive in nature and may start with coaching and assignment of training. As the risk/severity of the record increases, formal discipline, up to and including termination, may be applied, following a review of the total performance history 3 A third party Claim Management Vendor manages the program to screen potential high-risk drivers. The actual determination of a high-risk driver is made internally. First, points are assigned for MVR violations and for Preventable accidents. Each MVR is reviewed by the vendor, and points for each infraction are assigned based on the vendor s standardized point system. Preventable accident points are fixed, and the preventability determination is also done by the vendor. All points in a three year timeframe are combined and compared to the Company s point threshold. When a driver s total points exceed the threshold, the Vendor notifies the Company. The Company reviews the MVR and claim history, and the Company makes the actual high-risk determination. 4 For routine traffic violations, MVR results are reported for the three prior years. For major traffic violations, results are reported for as long as the state has records (normally seven years).

3 Point Values for Infractions 7 Points Failing to remain at the scene of a collision. Failing to stop when signaled/requested by a police officer. 6 Points Careless driving. Exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/hr or more. Racing. Failing to stop for a school bus. 5 Points Driver of a bus failing to stop at an unprotected railway crossing. 4 Points Exceeding the speed limit by 30 to 49 km/hr. Following too closely. 3 Points Exceeding the speed limit by 16 to 29 km/hr. Driving through, around or under a railway-crossing barrier. Failing to obey a stop sign. Driving the wrong way on a divided road. Failing to yield the right-of-way. Driving or operating a vehicle on a closed road. Failing to obey a traffic light or railway-crossing signal. Improper driving when road is divided into lanes. Failing to obey the directions of a police officer. Crowding the driver s seat. Failing to report a collision to a police officer. Going the wrong way on a one-way road Failing to slow and carefully pass a stopped emergency Crossing a divided road where no proper crossing is provided vehicle. Failing to move, where possible, into another lane when Improper passing. passing a stopped emergency vehicle. 2 Points Failing to obey signs. Improper opening of a vehicle door. Failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing. Prohibited turns. Failing to share the road. Towing people-on toboggans, bicycles, skis, etc. Failing to signal. Unnecessary slow driving. Failing to lower headlamp beams. Reversing on a divided high-speed road. Page 3

4 Driver failing to wear a seat belt. Driver failing to ensure that a passenger less than 23 kg is properly secured. Improper left turn. Backing on a highway. Driver failing to ensure that a passenger under 16 years is wearing a seat belt. Improper right turn Page 4 What are the risk categories and points assigned? Low Risk: 0 to 4 points Medium Risk: 5 10 points High Risk: 11 or more points What action is taken for each risk group? Low risk drivers = No action is taken Medium risk drivers = A one-on-one discussion with the immediate supervisor or hiring manager to address: Expectations regarding safe driving Potential for losing driving privileges if the point total exceeds 10 Additional or accelerated training, periodic driving audits or other actions, depending on the nature of the violations High risk drivers = A Committee will review and then recommend to business management that the driver lose their privilege to drive a company vehicle, for any reason; and a personal vehicle for company business until their point total falls below We use our Safety supplier matrix for assessing points and utilize the system below to put drivers into risk level categories, based on points accumulated. The point system used was developed in conjunction with our third party insurance.

5 Any staff that reaches Risk Level 3 is required to complete Behind the Wheel training. MVRs are run twice per year. Time Period Risk Level 0 Risk Level 1 Risk Level 2 Risk Level 3* 12 Months 0 to 0 points 1 to 4 points 5 to 7 points 8 or more points 24 Months 0 to 0 points 1 to 7 points 8 to 11 points 12 or more points 36 Months 0 to 0 points 1 to 11 points 12 to 14 points 15 or more points 6 does MVR monitoring for both our commercial and non-commercial employee drivers. We are 2.5 years into a program that has included the non-regulated drivers. Enclosed is the point system we have applied only after the drivers acknowledge the receipt of the policy requirements (which includes driver MVR monitoring), and sign a disclosure and authorization form which allows to request this information. Page 5 7 utilizes MVR for pre-hiring qualifications and also for Commercial Motor Vehicle annual qualifications. doesn t typically use MVR s to identify high risk drivers at this time. 8 generates MVRs annually and they are reviewed by a committee (HR, EHS, fleet management, operations, etc) to determine actions for at risk to high risk drivers. Our fleet management group generates all of the MVRs for us and they supply a comprehensive list of moving violations with points associated with the violation. There are too many moving violations to list with points but to give you an idea of the scoring here are some: DUI, invalid license, etc- 7 pts., speeding mph over limit- 5pts, speeding mph over limit- 3pts., not stopping at a stop sign, speeding 1-5mph over limit - 2pts., Here is how we categorize our drivers: 0-4 pts.- No risk, 5-14pts. at risk, 15 pts or greater is moderate risk, a single score of 7 pts. is a high risk driver. 9 (A third party) manages our MVR process and we use their standardized point system. With the volatility in the state MVR systems, trying to keep up with changes in the state points and new codes is nearly impossible for a fleet department and is best left to those companies who have built managing MVR processes as a core business. 10 risk ranks annually and uses MVR s results along with number of collisions for a 3 year window. Anyone 10 pts and above is high risk.

6 MVR Violation = # points based on year issued: 100% current year 80% 2 years ago 50% 3 years ago # Crashes with repair cost >$250 = 4 pts current year and discounted thereafter. Virtual Risk Manager Assigned points based on Road Risk Questionnaire MVR pts + Crash points + VRM Points = Total Points for Driver s File Assigned Risk Level Page 6 Risk Level Excellent Driver Points Notification Authorized Driver Corrective Action 0 points Safety Excellence Recognition Certificate with follow up by Manager/Country Leadership and DriverINDEX report Continue with Virtual Risk Manager: Authorized driver to maintain Excellent Driver Status. Non-Colleague Authorized Driver Corrective Action No further action Low Risk Points: DriverINDEX Report and Low Risk Letter Continue with Virtual Risk Manager: Authorized driver to work to improve driving status to excellent. No further action Medium Risk Points: DriverINDEX Report and Medium Risk Letter Required additional defensive driving online training. Further response based on local manager decisions. Permanent loss of driving privilege

7 High Risk 10+ Points: DriverINDEX Report and Colleague Warning Letter and Status Notification coordinated by Local ER. Additional defensive driving online and/or Behind The Wheel (classroom/workshop) training and manager conducts accountability session(s). Permanent loss of driving privilege Page 7 High Risk High Impact- Defined list infractio ns Included above Automatic Termination. Examples of HI: multiple DUI citation or violations ; hit and run; vehicular manslaughter; possession of illegal drugs Permanent loss of driving privilege 11 At, we manage a High Risk Driver program using a 3rd party contractor to perform the MVR checks and assign/level the points across the states. We use their leveling/assignment system. We also integrate our accident history with the MVR for assessment of high risk drivers. Here are the excerpts from our policy. High Risk Driver A driver will be considered High Risk if they have accumulated 8 or more company based points from moving violations and/or accidents over the past 3 years. Points are assessed as follows: Accidents are scored with 2 points if our vehicle is hit by someone and 3 points if our vehicle hits someone or something. Moving violation points are based on the scoring system to calibrate the various different state Motor Vehicle Record systems. Points may range from 1-10 and are based on severity of the violation/citation. Any violation for distracted driving and cell phone usage will result in 10 s-a points. Drivers who have been cited for DUI/DWI, any offense involving the illegal use of drugs or alcohol or Reckless or Careless driving within the last 3 years. 1. High Risk Driver Designation - High-Risk Drivers are identified through an annual Motor Vehicles Record assessment, accident history and/or by management recommendation based on driving observations. a. Drivers (employees) meeting the definition of a High-Risk Driver are required to: Successfully complete all assigned driver training courses which may include online modules and/or behindthe-wheel training.

8 Include an objective for driving improvements which outlines what the driver will do to avoid future accidents, moving violations and improve his/her driving skills and/or behaviors. Managers must perform 4 commentary drives a year with High Risk Drivers and ensure that these employees have a driving improvement objective. b. Authorized Drivers that are identified as High Risk Drivers will have their driving privileges revoked until they successfully complete a defensive driving course at their own expense and submit the results to the Field Safety Department. The company reserves the right to revoke the privilege of an authorized driver to drive a company vehicle. Page 8 12 In regards to the Forum question, we offer the following. Identifying a driver as high risk purely because of MVRs does not present the full picture. Drivers may be identified as high risk because of other parameters such as: - amount of driving they do and distances/time and hours worked, night driving, etc. - type of vehicle they drive and the type of driving they do (heavy goods vehicle, off-road, etc.) - Health issues of drivers fatigue, fitness for work, etc. - We use a driver risk profile index tool, which is a leading indicator. MVR s is strictly a lagging indicator. A risk index tool indentifies how an individual s behavior might impact their driving style. 13 The U.S. operations have a point system based on the number of vehicle accidents, violations/citations, the number of how s my driving complaint calls and use of seat belt (non-conformance results in adding a point). Once a predetermined number of points are assigned, the driver is designated high risk and is required to get behind the wheel training provided either by EHS and or outside vendors. Successful completion of the training results in a number of points being subtracted from the driver s record. If the driver exceeds the maximum allowable points their company driving privileges are revoked.