National Safety Council (NSC) Recognizes June as National Safety Month

For millions of Americans, the vehicle is a personal office in which to read the newspaper, a vanity to apply makeup and a personal phone booth to talk to old friends. As harmless as they may seem, the National Safety Council (NSC) reports that these reckless everyday actions create more than 14 million accidents a year.

NSC is recognizing June as the 10th annual National Safety Month. The week of June 12-16, 2007, specifically, will be dedicated to making motorists conscious of driving hazards on the road and the significance of driving safely with its theme, “Making Our World a Safer Place.” DriveCam supports National Safety Month and hopes to help decrease the 42,000 motor vehicle fatalities that occur each year (NSC Web site) by providing awareness of this important initiative.

For companies, the financial burden is a staggering $625 billion a year for accidental injuries (NSC Web site). In fact, according to the NSC, 42 percent of all accidental injuries occur on the job. To ensure that you and your employees are safe, here are some tips from DriveCam’s safety experts:

• Always have an out. Keep a two- to- three car space between yourself and the vehicle ahead.
• Always use your lights and turn signals.
• When driving, pass trucks on the left. A trucker’s blind spot on the right is the whole length of the trailer.
• Minimize distractions in your vehicle.
• Sleep if you are tired. Caffeine, loud music and cool air won’t prevent driver fatigue.
• Do not overload your vehicle. Overloading creates premature stress on critical vehicle parts, such as brakes.
• Safety and driver improvement programs, such as Driver Risk Management, can help drivers to identify and correct risky behaviors that can lead to serious incidents.

DriveCam’s behavior-based risk mitigation solution helps fleet supervisors identify risking driving behaviors by recognizing and correcting problems as they happen. The feedback can educate risky drivers and avert many accidental vehicle collisions. By combining sight and sound, expert analysis and driver coaching, DriveCam has reduced vehicle damages, workers’ compensation and personal injury costs by 30 to 90 percent in more than 62,000 commercial and government vehicles.

To learn more about the NSC and National Safety Month, please visit www.nsc.org.