Klaire Somoray

Reducing Reversing Vehicle Incidents in Australian Fleet Settings—A Case Study

Reversing vehicle incidents is a significant but often overlooked issues in organisations. Utilising three Australian organisations, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of reversing aids and a behaviour-change program in reducing reversing-related crashes in fleet settings. Reversing-related incidents increased from Time 1 to Time 2 in the organisation that did not implement a specific strategy to reduce their reversing-related crashes and in the organisation that implemented the reversing aids intervention. However, the increase was only statistically significant in the organisation that utilised the reversing aids technology. In this organisation, the odds of its drivers getting involved in a reversing incident has almost doubled from Time 1 and Time 2. In contrast, the frequency of reversing incidents in the organisation implementing the behaviour-change program has significantly decreased, with less than 50 % chance of its drivers being involved in a reversing incident from Time 1 to Time 2. The implications associated with these results will be discussed.

Development of proactive Safety Behaviour Scale within the work driving context

This study explores an alternative approach to managing safety issues within the work driving setting by developing and piloting a measurement tool that examines proactive safety behaviours among work drivers. A systematic literature review was conducted to develop the construct and items for the survey, which is then assessed using an expert panel (n = 5) and piloted with a sample of work drivers and supervisors involved in fleet-related activities (n = 37). Principal component analysis produced six internally consistent factors that reflect: protection of other drivers and fixing issues, volunteerism/helping, noticing and reporting, safety voice, problem prevention and feedback inquiry. Investigating a proactive approach in managing risks while driving for work could provide a practical contribution to the field of work driving safety.