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VVVVVVVVROOOOM – V8 IS MOVING ALONG
RMD works with V8 agencies to lessen risks associated with driving. The numbers show that traffic citations are down by almost 27%. State drivers are expected to drive legally (driving with the flow of traffic at 75 mph in a 65 mph zone is still not legal). State workers are driving 1.5 million miles more than last year after a decrease in miles driven in the prior two years. But crash costs jumped by 69% from last year.
Crashes are the primary cause for Oregon fatalities and serious injuries. Property, liability, and workers’ compensation charges are based on each agency’s losses. The V8 are agencies that:
- Drive more than 1.5 million miles
- Have 10 or more incidents (collisions and police citations)
- Have an incident rate higher than the state’s average (0.094 this year)
- More than $150,000 in incurred property, liability, and workers compensation costs.
Each December RMD presents a V8 Refocus Conference in which we share current data, costs, new tools, and information. And we identify the new V8 based on the above criteria. Tina Barthlow, OYA’s driving coordinator, and Gene Rushing, DEQ’s Safety and Health Manager, attended the conference. They were very pleased to discover that diligent efforts to reduce crashes in their agencies paid off. In fact OYA had NO police citations this past year. OYA and DEQ decreased their incidents, costs, and rate, which removed them from this year’s V8. DCBS’ Sharon Domachofsky stated that driver record checks, a variety of driver training courses, and management/employee involvement has kept DCBS off of the V8 for 3 years now.
How did they get off the V8? Management sets clear expectations for safe driving behaviors. Employees have to maintain good driving records and attend defensive driver training. Cars are properly maintained. These agencies implement other important elements of a Vehicle Incident Prevention Plan (VIPP). And they look for continuous improvement. Tour the new and improved VIPP.
The V8 Refocus conference provides a forum where agencies can share programs that work. They help each other identify problems and look for solutions. Many of the V8 provide input into tools like VIPP. They asked for continued free SAIFer Driver training for their drivers. And they got it! Since 1996 nearly 12,000 state drivers have taken SAIFer Driver training offered through DAS RMD, SAIF, and Evergreen Safety Council (ESC). Is your agency taking advantage of this resource? If not, find out how to enroll.
"Safety" Dave White of ESC provided information on EVER SAFE, an experienced driver course, and Incident Analysis training that are in the works between DAS RMD, ESC, and SAIF, and will be no cost added resources for enrolled agencies by Spring ’02.
Other Refocus topics included a driver risk-indexing tool. Liz Harrison, RMD, and Alan Samarin, SAIF Loss Control Consultant, explained how this tool can be used to evaluate the level of risk associated with employees whose job functions require them to drive. Points are assigned based on driving history and experience. This review can help managers determine what driving privileges and duties are appropriate to assign to their employees. Risk Indexing will be in the VIPP toolkit on the DAS web page soon.
Lt. Gary Miller, Assistant Director for Oregon State Police Patrol Services Division, kept the group awake with "Fatigue, Driving, and Crashes". Do your drivers take a break every hour when driving long distances? Do you schedule meetings so that drivers can travel during normal working hours? Do you use alternative meeting formats to avoid travel in harsh weather conditions? Watch for future articles on drowsy drivers.
Does your agency’s driving process need a tune-up? Check out the VIPP Toolkit and find elements of a Vehicle Incident Prevention Program, driver training, State Vehicle Use and Access Rules, News articles, videos, and web resources. The new V8 will be vroooming through many of these tools.
FY 01 V8 are:
Oregon State Police
Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities
State Offices for Services to Children & Families
Oregon State University
University of Oregon
Fish & Wildlife
ODOT
Parks & Recreation
Volume 15 No 1
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