April 2023 | BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA
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out rogue drivers that can be a constant
liability to the company.
Driving economically
Also referred to as driving with mechani-
cal sympathy. A professional, competent
and experienced driver will be able to
demonstrate driving a vehicle smoothly
and gently. No harsh acceleration, harsh
braking and over speeding. A good driver
will change gears efficiently to constantly
drive in the green band, will look far
ahead and plan manoeuvres to save fuel
without compromising safety. A profes-
sional driver will also conduct thorough
pre-trip inspections to ensure minimum
disruptions and breakdowns on the road.
Hazard management skills
An experienced, well trained and com-
petent driver is able to read the road for
moving and stationary hazards which in-
clude visual, physical and mental hazards.
They need to predict and anticipate the
dangerous behaviour of other road users
and be in a position to react promptly
and correctly to avoid or prevent a crash.
Drivers who have undergone advanced,
defensive driver training are easily able
to apply these skills in various trying road
conditions. The marque of a good driver
is one who is able to use both mental
and physical skills to avoid incidences by
looking far ahead and being constantly
aware of their surroundings.
Avoiding road rage
The public road is a public space where
people from various races, cultures,
classes, ages and gender come together
with a common purpose of getting from
point A to point B. Sadly, many people
in the country are troubled by many
personal issues as well as issues outside
of their control. This manifests into high
levels of built-up anger when driving
which leads to a lethal combination of
road rage which often ends tragically.
Much can be observed about a driver’s
attitude to other road users including
factors such as how often they lose their
temper, how they respond to driving in
an angry state and these attitudes can
easily be assessed because old habits
die hard and can be detrimental to road
safety and personal security.
Customer relations
Company drivers who are transporting
passengers or freight or driving for
work are exposed to greater risks than
their office-bound counterparts. They
tend to become more flustered given
the many daily traffic challenges they
need to contend with. Needless to say,
some of this negativity may be directed
at their clients, which could be bad for
business as they are the face of the
company. Indeed, they are the true
ambassadors of their respective brands
and how they deal with various custom-
er relations will go a long way towards
displaying the culture of their company.
It is therefore critical to hire drivers
who will be an asset to your brand.
Pre-hire assessments may be a
bit costly and time consuming, but
it is definitely worth the time and
effort in ensuring that you have a
team of professional drivers who
will save you endless headaches, by
reducing incidents, saving lives, and
enhancing the image of your company
by being professional, proactive
and productive. BFA
Ashref Ismail is a multiple
award-winning road safety
practitioner with more than 35
years’ experience at provincial,
national and international levels.
He holds qualifications in Traffic
and Municipal Policing, Teaching,
Public Relations and Professional
Driving. He currently runs his own
fleet risk management consul-
tancy, specialising in advanced,
hazard management training and
driver wellness.