Safety Coach
Show Your True Safety Colors
Hello, January. It’s a new year. Could it also be a new you?
Time to restart your safety metings! Use our free Safety Coach cards to prompt a quick and easy discussion about safety in or out of an office setting.
What do art lessons and engine leaks have in common? Color! You may be able to help identify the type of engine leaks you are seeing simply by looking at the liquid’s color. It is always good to inform your mechanic what you observe:
- Motor oil – dark brown or yellow; feels slippery
- Transmission fluid – pink or red; feels slippery
- Antifreeze – green or orange; sweet smelling
- Power steering fluid – completely clear
Fluid leaks can lead to brake malfunctions, too. In 2017, vehicles with defective brakes or no brakes were involved in 2,862 crashes in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. That’s nearly eight crashes every day.
Reducing crash-related incidents can positively impact your bottom line. Driving complacency is something we hear employers and employees alike mentioning as a reason for poor driving behaviors. A little refresher on driving basics can be the key to a turnaround.
In each Safety Coach deck, individual cards are labeled by topic, for example, truck safety.
Learn more about our Safety Coach cards. Download the PDF file that contains the full deck. Ask your employees: What can we all do this year to make traffic safety a priority, not an afterthought. Listen to what your employees share.
Tailgate Talk
Course Correction
Bad habits can be bad for your health, right? Two come to mind right off the bat: Eating too much junk food and biting your nails. What about speeding? Or not buckling up in every seat every time?
While risky driving behaviors are not always thought of in the same way as some other less desirable personal choices or habits, they too can result in outcomes that are bad for your health and well-being and all those around you on the roads. Poor driving behaviors by others can result in bad consequences for you, your employees and their family members, too.
For more than two decades, speeding has been a contributing factor in about one-third of all traffic fatalities across the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In Texas, vehicles traveling at unsafe speeds were involved in 23,793 crashes in 2017, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. That’s about three crashes every hour of every day.
When do we attach the same kind of public stigma to speeding that we’ve attached to smoking? One way to drive culture change is through the promotion of traffic safety. Employers, because they absorb the brunt of costs associated with crashes whether they occur on or off the job, can save money and save lives through these kinds of ongoing efforts.
Speeding and tailgating are two forms of aggressive driving. Do they make your blood boil? Do you remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare? Slow and steady is a good way to win the race that matters most.
Ask employees: Have you ever seen someone tailgating, passing and then speeding up and, yet, they end up at the same stoplight as you? That driver who was speeding and/or tailgating didn’t save any time or get any further, yet increased his/her own risk and exposed other drivers to unnecessary risk.
One thing to reiterate during your next Tailgate Talk: Speed can affect safety even when you are driving at the posted limit. There are other factors to consider such as driving to conditions, often influenced by weather, lighting, road construction and traffic.
Watch/share: Leapfrog: Game for Kids, Not Aggressive Drivers.