A damaged fleet can be expensive in several ways. Collision expenses, repair bills, delayed deliveries, and the cost of driver inefficiencies all add up.
Learn more about fleet accident management, how to minimize risk, and how to save on costly fleet auto body repairs with software solutions and driver safety tools that help make your teams safer on the road.
What is fleet accident management?
One of the primary goals of any fleet manager is to maximize safety to help prevent accidents. The more comprehensive a company’s protocols, the less stress, time, and money is spent on fleet accident management.
That said, effective fleet accident management includes knowing the steps to follow when a collision occurs, as well as having a solid understanding of what measures to take to avoid accidents from happening.
Steps to take after an accident
If an accident does occur, smooth and efficient handling is key to getting vehicles and drivers back on the road. The collision management process includes reporting the first notice of loss, assessing loss recovery (subrogation), and taking control of repair management.
First Notice of Loss
The First Notice of Loss (FNOL) is the initial report made to a company’s insurance provider in the event of damage to an insured vehicle. Incidents need to be reported as soon as they happen, and the relevant police reports and paperwork gathered.
To keep drivers aware of the appropriate procedures, many fleets equip their vehicles with documentation detailing steps for drivers to follow in case of an emergency.
Loss recovery (subrogation)
As soon as a driver has reported an accident to the management team, the loss recovery process begins. Often known as subrogation, loss recovery refers to action taken by an insurance carrier to recover costs by pursuing any third parties deemed responsible for the loss. Short subrogation processes are optimal to ensure fast and comprehensive payments to recover crash management costs.
Repair management
Unforeseen downtime is bad for the bottom line of any business, so timeliness is a top priority when it comes to getting vehicles back on the road after accidents. Management needs to work quickly to find a suitable repair facility, get estimates, negotiate costs, and have work completed so that both vehicle and driver can resume regular duties as soon as possible.
How to help prevent collisions with fleet accident management software
The majority of incidents are preventable for businesses that take a proactive approach to fleet accident management. There are many software solutions that can help automate your safety protocols and fleet accident management processes.
1. Install dash cams
Lytx® fleet dash cams are front and rear-facing cameras that can provide a 360-degree view complete with high-quality video and night vision. The ability to see what really happened can help you to exonerate drivers from false claims, reduce claims costs, empower drivers to address risky behavior in the moment, and improve business operations.
2. Use AI technology to eliminate bad driving habits
Most vehicle collisions are avoidable and caused by human error. Lytx’s industry-leading driver safety solutions can help prevent collisions by detecting and alerting drivers so they can self-correct their own risky behaviors in the moment†. Simultaneously, the software provides fleet managers with detailed data that can be used to mentor drivers and reduce distracted driving or dangerous maneuvers.
3. Establish safety training
Proper safety training is an essential factor in fleet accident management and prevention, but designing and implementing a robust strategy can be challenging. For this reason, an effective fleet safety program must be comprehensive, up-to-date, and instituted as a part of your company’s safety culture. It should be thorough, reaching every employee who gets behind the wheel.
4. Follow routine maintenance schedules
Regular, thorough, and proactive maintenance can help prevent vehicle failure and keeps drivers and other road users safe. Preventative maintenance helps fleet managers achieve maximum vehicle performance by tracking critical maintenance measures and creating automatic notifications when checks and repairs are due.
With detailed information at their fingertips, managers can set maintenance parameters by individual truck, team, or vehicle type.
5. Track your fleet
GPS fleet tracking solutions from Lytx makes it easy to follow vehicles in real time*. Fleet managers can monitor every vehicle’s exact location, status, and maintenance schedules, ensuring potential repair issues can be identified and rectified before they become a collision danger. It’s also possible to create alerts for common causes of accidents such as hard braking, rapid acceleration, and speeding.
Learn more about fleet accident management software
At Lytx, we specialize in providing custom fleet accident management software that identifies and eliminates risk. Lytx fleet management technology can help you focus on keeping your drivers safer, your fleet accident management costs low, and your business thriving.
Find out more about driver safety and preventative maintenance programs that can help optimize your fleet. Contact our sales team today for more information or to book a demo of any of our business boosting solutions.
†WARNING — The Lytx Event Recorder is a driver aid only. Never wait for the device to provide a warning before taking measures to avoid an accident. See details here.
*Cellular network connectivity required.