We’ve all seen the effects of aggressive driving and road rage. Many companies with extensive fleets conduct some sort of driver safety training. Most of these fleet safety programs focus on the what, where and when of driver safety. But all too often they miss out on an important question—who?

Many employee driving safety programs take the approach that aggressive driving starts and stops with the person behind the wheel. But all too often, truckers and other professional drivers aren’t the initial cause of road rage. Instead, how they drive is influenced by other drivers.

Drivers may begin the workday with the best intentions of driving safely, but as the Driving Distraction Away guide states a number of factors can affect their behavior on the road.

A person’s state of mind can make them more vulnerable to the sources of distracted driving:

• When we’re rushing, we’re more likely to think about why we’re in a rush than to concentrate on driving.
• When we’re frustrated, we’re more likely to get distracted by something we see.
• When we’re tired, we’re more likely to get distracted by something we hear.

People take unnecessary risks behind the wheel because they forget driving is incredibly dangerous—steering thousands of pounds of metal traveling at very high speeds.

As the day goes on, complacency and frustration with other drivers can set in. The combination of these factors can leave your employees much more likely to drive aggressively.

Training your company’s drivers to recognize the human factors that can lead to aggressive driving and compromise their safety on the road can go a long way to reducing car crashes in company vehicles. 

In the end, aggressive driving can take all sorts of forms—and can be caused by a number of different factors. If your fleet safety training ignores how drivers can be affected by others, it may be time to add human factors to the program.