– By Marc Sibbald –
Have you ever hit an animal while driving? There is a good chance if you hit a Kangaroo that both of you will die.
If your fleet drivers operate in regional areas, hitting an animal is a reality for them at least once during their time working for you. And the risk increases depending on which state they are located.
The NRSPP factsheet states that 1 in 7 crashes on country roads is caused by animals. And in 60% of collisions with an animal and a fatality, a kangaroo or wallaby are involved.
I worked with a sales representative that travelled from Port Macquarie to Tamworth as part of his call cycle. In his previous role he had travelled to the ACT regularly but this part of NSW was new to him. And the roads between these two towns are a bit different to the road from Sydney to Canberra.
The first three trips he hit a kangaroo; on the same road; at approximately the same time. Luckily the only damage was to the car. Both driver and kangaroos were unscathed.
After the second time his Line Manager started asking some questions. After the third time the sales representative started to change his behaviour.
The problem was trip planning. He had made a schedule that required him to leave Port Macquarie at 6am and travel through the mountains across to Tamworth. He liked the winding roads with no traffic at this time of the morning. But according the NRSPP fact sheet dawn and dusk are the high risk times for animal collisions so this was the worst time for him to leave.
There was no expectation from the company for him to leave so early or keep a fixed customer visitation schedule. He thought he was doing the right thing and working hard. Unfortunately he wasn’t working smart and the damage to the vehicle, lost time and risk to life was not acceptable to the organisation.
Use this one page sheet as a Tool Box talk with your employees. Send it to the Line Managers responsible for the behaviour and scheduling of the people who drive in regional areas for your business. Or include in a company newsletter. Just get the message out there!
