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Monday, October 13, 2025

Take Heed of the Tortoise and the Hare: Rushing Doesn’t Win


This submit is a part of a sequence sponsored by IAT Insurance coverage Group.

There’s a lot knowledge to be extracted from Aesop’s timeless fable “The Tortoise and the Hare” relating to driver dashing.

Because the Hare found, dashing doesn’t save time or sources. As an alternative, research present that whereas drivers solely acquire mere minutes once they exceed the velocity restrict by 10 miles per hour,[1] dashing will increase each the chance of a crash and fatalities occurring.[2]

In 2021, velocity was concerned in 29% of all traffic-related deaths, and a mean of 33 individuals within the U.S. had been killed every day in a speeding-related visitors incident.[3]

Non-crash penalties of dashing

Past a crash, harm or fatality, dashing has a number of penalties, together with:

Rushing tickets, impacting each the motive force and the fleet service. Most states don’t let drivers with a CDL take a security class to keep away from conviction, and fleet drivers stopped for dashing are sometimes subjected to a prolonged inspection and extra citations. The typical value of loss for an accident involving a fleet automobile is roughly $70,000,[4] and naturally, prices for business insurance coverage improve for drivers with poor driving data.

Lack of employment and/or driving privileges is a substantial consequence for fleet drivers who velocity. Most carriers have a dashing coverage that permits for minimal driver violations earlier than employment privileges are taken away and the motive force is let go. As well as, most states permit insurance coverage firms to exclude drivers with a number of infractions from their business insurance coverage insurance policies, which regularly ends in the termination of employment. Rushing drivers who don’t lose their jobs should lose out on their organizations’ driver security bonus incentives.

4 methods fleet carriers can scale back dashing and enhance security

It’s important to proactively decrease the prevalence of dashing in your enterprise. Listed here are 4 methods to do it:

  1. Be taught from telematics knowledge.

Telematics pulls again the curtain on driver conduct to supply clear insights into the challenges your drivers are having on the highway. Pay shut consideration to your group’s velocity and if there are particular areas or areas that drivers are inclined to recurrently velocity by means of. Perceive which drivers and places are recurring offenders.

Have interaction in enchancment teaching with “hare” drivers who’ve widespread occurrences of onerous accelerations, onerous braking, cornering velocity and idle time whereas additionally recognizing the extra optimistic driver habits of your “tortoise” drivers.

  1. Schedule drivers for fulfillment.

Delays are widespread and drivers could really feel the necessity to velocity to make up for misplaced time, whether or not they bought a late begin or hit surprising visitors. Make sure that drivers have sufficient time to soundly arrive at their vacation spot with out feeling rushed. Site visitors may cause anxiousness and misery, so plan realistically and make efforts to keep away from high-traffic areas throughout rush hour by delaying departure occasions or altering routes.

Step again and reply this query to guage if your organization tradition is aligned:

Can we ship a constant message that a very powerful factor is for our drivers to prioritize a protected and sensible haul, or are we inadvertently reinforcing drivers who get there as quick as they will, whatever the dangers?

  1. Keep on prime of upkeep.

Vans which might be nicely maintained may have much less cause to be sidetracked, stopped or have an accident on the highway. Completely examine and keep all autos to assist keep away from mechanical points whereas driving. Topping off gas and wiper fluid and checking tire strain forward of time are minor steps that can also keep away from main delays.

  1. Observe persistence (despite the fact that it’s onerous)!

Lack of persistence is a standard cause for dashing, so take the time to search out what helps you keep composure and self-restraint once you’re feeling below strain.

Drivers: Take a second to breathe, chill out and prioritize protected driving once you really feel behind or rushed.

Fleet operators: Foster a tradition of practical expectations and understanding so drivers really feel empowered to make protected selections on the highway.

The implications of dashing are actual and may be devastating. Keep in mind Aesop’s fable: The race doesn’t at all times go to the swift. For skilled business drivers and their fleet carriers, the race is gained by those that end the job and ship the products safely.

ASK A LOSS CONTROL REPRESENTATIVE

Have a query on how one can mitigate threat? E mail losscontroldirect@iatinsurance.com for an opportunity to see your query answered in a future weblog.

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