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August 2024
Summaries of timely road safety news, events, and alerts
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Message from NETS' Executive Director,
Susan Hipp
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As summer comes to an end here in the US, we are back to school, back to routines, back to the monotony of everyday life and tasks. It’s easy to fall back into bad habits and keep doing “the same ol’ same ol’.”
But before we get complacent, back to school time is also a good time to remind ourselves of the things that matter, to remember that being PROACTIVE is a better plan than being REACTIVE.
When it comes to safe driving, being proactive can make all the difference. It shouldn’t take a crash or catastrophic event to change driving behavior. We shouldn’t wait until something has happened to start driving safely.
As an employer with fleet drivers, what are some ways you can do that?
- Make sure you have driving policies in place.
- Provide continuous driver training to all drivers, not just upon hire for new drivers.
- Invest in telematics and vehicle technology to monitor high-risk driving behavior and address issues immediately.
- Ensure vehicles are equipped with safety features such as ABS, collision avoidance systems, and backup cameras.
- Hold regular safety meetings or toolbox talks with drivers to discuss safety issues, share best practices, and address concerns.
- Regularly review and update your fleet safety policies and practices and continuously seek opportunities to improve safety.
- Foster a culture of open communication where drivers feel comfortable reporting safety concerns, but also hold drivers accountable for safety violations.
To learn about more ways you can be proactive regarding fleet safety and hear best practices from other fleet safety professionals, I encourage you to join us at our annual Strength IN Numbers Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference October 8-11 in Atlanta.
While there is still time to register for the conference, there is no time to wait until an incident happens before addressing fleet safety issues. It’s time to be proactive.
Drive Safe!
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Susan Hipp
Executive Director, NETS
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REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Including NEW! Pre-Conference
Professional Development Seminars
September 1 PDS Registration Deadline
to guarantee availability of NSC and ASSP classes!
NETS 2024
Strength IN Numbers®
Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference
October 8~11, 2024
Atlanta, Georgia
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REGISTRATION RATES
NETS Members: $649
Non-Members*: $729
Government/Non-profit: $299
NETS Sponsors: Use sponsor registration link below (request instructions and discount code from akidd@trafficsafety.org)
*Non-Member registration is only for companies with fleets. Vendors, please contact NETS for Sponsor Options.
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Conference and Professional
Development Seminar registration available with this link.
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Note: For every room reservation under NETS room block, Omni Hotel will donate one meal to Feeding America. Help us make an impact by reserving your room directly through the room block link. | | |
Join us in October!
New! PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS,
ENGAGING KEYNOTE SPEAKERS,
FREE NETWORKING EVENTS,
HEALTH & WELLNESS ACTIVITIES
...and much more!
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DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE!
NOMINATIONS CLOSE SEPTEMBER 1!
NETS 2024 Road Safety Achievement Award
for NETS Members
We are now accepting nominations for the 2024 NETS Road Safety Achievement Award which will be awarded to a NETS member company and/or a NETS member company employee for advancing road safety. Nominations must be submitted using our award nomination form by September 1, 2024.
We invite you to nominate a fleet leader or leaders to recognize outstanding achievement in:
- Overall road safety
- Small fleets (fewer than 100 vehicles)
- International fleets
- NEW this year! Women in Fleet
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Nominations are limited to NETS member companies and their employees.
Awards will be given at the Road Safety Awards Dinner on October 9, 2024 during NETS Annual Conference (winners do not need to be present to receive award).
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FLEET CONFERENCE OPPORTUNITY | |
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AFLA’s 55th Annual Conference ‘Driving Spirit’
September 15-18th, 2024 in San Antonio, TX
Be the Driving Spirit propelling your organization to new levels of success by reserving your seat and your room today.
Over the past 50 years, the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA) has evolved into a dynamic organization that fosters growth, expansion, and professionalism within the fleet industry by offering education, research, technical standards, advocacy, and support for member interests.
AFLA collaborates with its member companies to tackle critical industry challenges, delivering cutting-edge programs on topics ranging from advanced vehicle design to telematics and remarketing, all aimed at enhancing members’ skills and improving the environment in which they operate.
The session topics and speakers are focused exclusively on the interests and needs of corporate fleets. One of the most popular sessions is the Corporate Buyer Workshop, which is available only to Corporate Buyer (fleet manager) attendees. This workshop offers a deep dive into the critical topics and concerns they encounter, while also providing an opportunity to build valuable connections before the official start of the conference.
Opening Keynote, David Horsager, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Trust Edge and the leading global expert in building high-trust leaders and organizations. David has advised leaders and delivered lifechanging presentations on six continents, with audiences ranging everywhere from FedEx, Toyota, MIT and global governments to the New York Yankees and the Department of Homeland Security.
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Educational Sessions include:
- Establishing or Refining a Fleet Program
- EVs and Real Life TCO
- Industry Update
- How to Have Influential Communication
- Rise of AI and its Impact on Fleet
- Spotlight: lessons learned from last year’s challenge
- Technology: Tips, Tricks and Hacks
- Working Together – human resources, procurement, finance, and fleet
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The Hourglass Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the philanthropic arm of Flexco Fleet Services, has been honored as the Automotive Fleet and Leasing Association’s Charity of the Year. This prestigious recognition is awarded annually by AFLA, following a rigorous selection process conducted by the AFLA Board of Directors. The Hourglass Foundation’s mission is to empower first-generation, underserved, and diversely underrepresented students pursuing educational endeavors in automotive tech, among other skilled trades. Their scholarship gifts empower students to attain hands-on experience and trade-specific skill sets that lead to solid employment opportunities, successful career paths, and the ability to achieve independence.
AFLA and The Hourglass Foundation share a commitment to investing in the next generation of automotive and skilled trades professionals, believing this will have a significant and positive impact on the automotive and fleet communities. Their joint efforts aim to raise awareness about automotive and skilled trades as viable and lucrative career paths, while also educating the public about the automotive tech shortage and skilled labor gap currently facing the country. By addressing these issues, they hope to attract more talent to the industry and contribute to narrowing the skilled labor gap.
Additionally, both organizations are dedicated to encouraging more women to pursue careers in the automotive industry, where females remain a significantly underrepresented demographic.
For more information visit https://www.afla.org/page/AFLA2024
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NETS is proud to partner with the following PLATINUM Fleet Safety Sponsors: | |
Road Risk Alert: Labor Day Marks the End of the 100 Deadliest Days | Labor Day marks the end of the 100 Deadliest Days - a period notorious for high teen auto fatalities in the US. Pew Research reports that by the time Labor Day arrives, 85% of students are already back in school, making the holiday their first extended break of the new school year. | | | |
Bill Would Finally Ding Automakers' Safety Ratings on Huge Cars That Kill Pedestrians - Streetsblog USA | A new federal bill would someday prevent automakers from selling tall vehicles with huge blind spots that studies show are more likely to kill pedestrians, and give consumers the information they need to choose cars that better protect people outside them. | | | |
WORKPLACE / HOME ROAD SAFETY
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The Two-Pronged Approach to Driver Safety Management Programs | Every fleet manager worth their salt recognizes that a driver safety focus is foundational to the operational, financial, and reputational health of their organization. And with the National Safety Council’s preliminary estimate of 44,450 motor vehicle fatalities in 2023 —and at least 50 fleet driver casualties annually between 2012 and 2021— building a culture of safety just makes sense. | |
Number of Daily Rental Vehicles Offered to Fleets with Safety Issues Appears to Be Rising
The number of daily rental vehicles being offered to fleets with safety issues appears to be rising, says the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP). The industry body says it is hearing reports from members being provided with hire cars and vans in unacceptable mechanical condition, with the situation appearing to be deteriorating.
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Road-Rage Violence Is Surging, Data Shows, Often With Deadly Results | Sadly, road range incidents have become all too common in our short-tempered society. In recent days alone, a motorist in Valley View, OH was killed in an act of road rage; in Indianapolis, IN an armed man angrily approached a pickup truck with gun in hand, only to be shot by the subject of his discontent; a physical altercation between two drivers in Billings, MT resulted in the death on a 55-year-old man. | | | |
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
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With the right mindset, speed-limiting technology can be liberating | How does a speed-restricting device affect a grim D.C. commute? I got behind the wheel to find out and was pleasantly surprised. | | | |
'A Totally Different World': Autonomous trucks prepare to go driverless in Texas | Trucking Dive rode in a heavy-duty AV and toured Aurora and Kodiak sites to experience the developing technology firsthand. | | | |
NSC Statement on Release of U.S. DOT National Deployment Plan for Vehicle-to-Everything Technology | |
The National Safety Council applauds the release of the Saving Lives with Connectivity: A Plan to Accelerate V2X Deployment roadmap by the United States Department of Transportation. This roadmap lays the groundwork to invite federal and state partners, private industry and safety advocates together to harness the power of wireless technology to save lives on our nation’s roadways. | |
Zeekr Boasts Fastest Charging EV Battery in the World | Zeekr's new lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) batteries boast an ultra-fast charging capability, allowing vehicles to charge from 10% to 80% in just 10.5 minutes | | | |
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GOVERNMENT AND NON-PROFIT
AGENCY NEWS
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NSC Analysis: Preventable Traffic Crashes May Take Hundreds of Lives Over Labor Day Weekend | |
According to analysis by the National Safety Council, hundreds of people in the U.S. may not make it home safely this upcoming holiday weekend. During the Labor Day holiday period, which begins Friday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. and extends through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2, NSC estimates 457 lives may be lost in preventable motor vehicle crashes. | |
Researchers collaborate on best practices for automation research | Researchers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have joined colleagues from academia and the automated vehicle and insurance industries in issuing a set of best practices for future evaluations of highly automated vehicles. | | | |
INTERNATIONAL ROAD SAFETY
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What if We Could Put an End to Loss of Precious Lives on the Roads? | |
Traffic accidents cause nearly 1.19 million deaths worldwide each year. In 2021, 92 per cent of road traffic deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Traffic crashes were the leading cause of death for children and youth from 5 to 29 years of age in 2019. Such fatalities can be prevented. | |
New data on infrastructure safety for powered two wheelers (PTW) | Worldwide, the use of Powered Two Wheelers (PTW) is growing rapidly and as a result PTW users are estimated to be the largest group being killed on the world's roads. | | | |
Transforming Fleet Maintenance with Technology | Fleet maintenance is experiencing a significant shift thanks to digitalisation and advanced technologies. At the recent Queensland Professional Development Forum, Eden Shirley, Founder & CEO of AutoGuru, shared his insights on this transformation. Here, he highlighted emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities for the sector. | | | |
Protecting fleet vehicles as car theft rises across Europe | NFU Mutual, a UK-based fleet insurer, has shared research showing that almost a quarter (23%) of fleet owners don't have security measures to prevent vehicle theft. Almost half (45%) of smaller fleets don't have any vehicle security measures (including anti-theft and cyber security). | | | |
UPCOMING TRANSPORTATION SAFETY EVENTS
AND CAMPAIGNS
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Car Seats, Boosters & Seat Belts | Resources to help keep children safe in vehicles, this includes car seats, boosters, and seat belts for tweens. Also, get material for Child Passenger Safety Week. | | | |
| GHSA Annual Meeting September 7-11, 2024 | | September 7-11, 2024 | Indianapolis, IN. Each year, the Governors Highway Safety Association's Annual Meeting connects private companies, nonprofit organizations, government and law enforcement agencies, and many others. | | | |
September 13-19, 2024 | Orlando, FL. For more than 100 years, professionals have turned to this safety event for industry-leading technology, education, networking and tried and true products. | |
Do you have a particularly successful road safety example to share? NETS Members are encouraged to share best practices, ask questions or contribute their expertise to the NETS Road Safety Leaders Forum, an online discussion forum exclusively for NETS Members and Sponsors. Not yet a member? Check out the benefits at https://trafficsafety.org/membership-info/.
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Note from the editor:
All links to stories have been tested and are active 24 hours prior to distribution; however, links may become inactive over time at the discretion of the publication source.
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About NETSWork®
NETSWork is published electronically each month by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety.
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© 2024 Network of Employers for Traffic Safety
NETS is registered by the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(C)3 non-profit organization
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