Distribution company reduces vehicle accident rates with
DriveCam
Case Study: DS Waters, leader in home and office water delivery, reduced
at-fault accidents and dramatically cut claims losses
Situation
DS Waters of America Inc. produces and distributes bottled water products
throughout the United States under the brand names Belmont Springs, Hinckley
Springs, Kentwood Springs, Crystal Springs, Sierra Springs, Sparkletts and
Alhambra. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., DS Waters is a leader in home and
office water delivery with a focus on three- and five-gallon and one-half liter
single serve bottled water products. The company bottles water at more than 25
manufacturing facilities, employs 5,000 people in more than 30 states and
manages a fleet of 3,000 vehicles and drivers.
Committed to the safety of its employees and the general public, DS Waters
determined to reduce vehicle accident rates and related claims costs across its
fleet while increasing visibility of vehicles and their freight once they left
distribution centers for customer sites. Michael Belcher, director of safety at
DS Waters, selected DriveCam's comprehensive Driver Risk Management Solution to
help DS Waters identify and improve risky driving behaviors across its fleet.
Solution
Belcher had heard about DriveCam, a global Driver Risk Management company, in a
previous role and was aware of DriveCam's record of success in helping
enterprises reduce vehicle damages, workers' compensation, personal injury and
claims costs by as much as 50 percent.
DriveCam's demonstrated results are based on predictive software and analytics
capabilities, tens of thousands of actual events demonstrating risky driving
behaviors combined with deep transportation and safety experience. DriveCam's
palm-sized, exception-based video event recorder is mounted in vehicles behind
the rearview mirror and captures sight and sound inside and outside the
vehicle. Exceptional forces trigger the recorder so it captures those critical
seconds immediately before and after an event.
"Prior to deploying the DriveCam solution, we had made some strides in
knowledge building and were gathering information on driving behavior through
"1-800" feedback stickers on our vehicles, but we needed and wanted to go
beyond that," said Belcher. "We needed to delve deeper into what that feedback
meant, determine the root cause of accidents and take preventative measures to
reduce collisions. DriveCam had proven results and could help us identify and
improve the specific behaviors putting our drivers, our products and other
motorists at risk."
Belcher secured executive approval to test the DriveCam solution in DS Waters'
Belmont, Mass., and Oceanside, Calif., sites. The pilot phase began in April
2006 and the solution quickly was deployed across 62 test vehicles. Prior to
installation of the video event recorders in vehicles, Belcher and his team led
a comprehensive education campaign designed to help drivers understand the
solution and allay any concerns they might have as to its purpose.
Specifically, Belcher spoke to how the solution works, how it would be used and
how it would benefit drivers. In addition to facilitating meetings and
conference calls with drivers and supervisors, Belcher distributed brochures
highlighting the DriveCam solution and promoted the pilot in DS Waters'
internal newsletter.
Because the DriveCam solution captures actual risky driving behaviors such as
hard braking, tailgating and distracted driving when the video event recorder
is triggered as opposed to simply when an accident occurs, DS Waters fleet
supervisors were able to coach drivers to improve behavior before it resulted
in accidents.
"One of the first trends we identified with the DriveCam solution is that
employees we thought were good drivers because of their accident-free driving
records often were the ones speeding, running red lights and behaving most
aggressively behind the wheel," said Belcher. "It was apparent that while they
had not been involved in any accidents to date, they were truly "accidents
waiting to happen" and required coaching to improve their risky driving
behaviors. "
Impact
DS Waters' December 2006 pilot results were astounding:
-
DS Waters' Belmont site experienced 13 vehicle crashes in 2006 versus 43 in
2005
-
DS Waters' Oceanside site had two accidents in 2006 across 14 total vehicles
versus 14 accidents in 2005; both accidents were judged to be non-preventable
-
Belmont liability losses (auto claims only, not including property damage or
administrative costs) dropped to $13,200 in 2006 versus $82,100 in 2005
-
Oceanside auto liability losses totaled $0 in 2006 versus $16,705 in 2005
-
Oceanside drivers, known for having one of DS Waters' highest "1-800" driving
complaint rates, received only four complaints since the solution was deployed
By capturing risky driving events on the video event recorder, supervisors were
able to identify drivers in need of coaching. They also spotted drivers in
violation of DS Waters' dress code, seat belt and cell phone usage policies and
were able to correct these behaviors as well.
"We had no idea the volume of cell phone use was so high," said Belcher. "We
knew our drivers were using them, but we didn"t realize to what extent."
The DriveCam Solution also helps reduce product damage, including bottle
cracks, by encouraging DS Waters' employees to operate delivery vehicles
smoothly.
Belcher reports that drivers have been receptive to the coaching they have
received and appreciate the objective evidence saved on the recorder,
especially in accident situations where previously they had relied on memory
and witness testimony to reconstruct the incident and determine fault.
By electing DriveCam to manage the solution on a fully outsourced basis, DS
Waters personnel will be free to focus on their core competencies. A dedicated
DriveCam account team will work directly with Belcher and DS Waters to manage
and monitor the program on the organization's behalf and deliver consistent,
timely review of saved events so supervisors can deliver drivers the coaching
they need. DriveCam also will provide DS Waters in-depth, unbiased reports
illustrating the effectiveness of the solution and comparing frequency and
severity of events across the organization.
"When I joined DS Waters as director of safety, I made a commitment to reduce
vehicle accident rates across our fleet, but had limited resources to do so and
needed to find something that would give me the biggest bang for the buck. I
wanted a holistic driver risk management solution that offered more than just
training," said Belcher. "DriveCam enables DS Waters to reinforce the safe
driving habits we have instilled in our drivers and make them stick."
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