New App Helps Employers Understand Cost of Collisions

U.S. traffic crashes cost employers $47.4 billion in direct crash-related expenses (including medical care, liability, lost productivity and property damage), according to data from 2013. A single non-fatal injury crash had an average cost of nearly $65,000. Driver behaviors on and off the job contribute significantly to these costs. Now a new tool is now available to let employers measure the cost of crashes.

The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) has released a free Cost of Collisions Calculator, developed through a cooperative agreement with NHTSA, to assist employers' vehicle safety efforts. You can use it to help improve vehicle safety and reduce costs in your operation.

The crash cost calculator includes three components:

• On-the-Job Crash Costs
• Off-the-Job Crash Costs
• Return on Investment (ROI) Guidance Calculator

The application is intended for employers who want to understand the cost of crashes incurred by their fleets, in addition to the on- and off-the-job costs of crashes for all their employees and their employees’ dependents. Knowing a fleet’s costs can help management develop a business case to supports investments in fleet safety. Knowing the on- and off-the-job crash costs for all employees and their dependents provides employers with justification to invest in employee-wide safe driving programs.

Safe driving on- and off-the-job

Employers are in a unique position to directly influence their employees driving habits - and literally save lives. Those with robust road safety programs understand that whether an employee is involved in a crash when driving on the job or off the job, it still affects the employer. Implementing proactive safety initiatives such as defensive driver training and establishing comprehensive policies that address distractions, seat belts and fatigue are just a few measures employers can take to reduce employee risk behind the wheel.

Driving is an activity that many do every day, and that makes it easy to forget how dangerous it can be. According to the NHTSA, 37,461 people died on U.S. roads in 2016. In 2015, 2.4 million roadway users were injured.

Resources:

• Try the cost calculator here.
• Read a NETS report on cost of vehicle crashes to employers.
• Additional road safety resources from NETS.
• Browse Vehicle Safety signs at ComplianceSigns.com.