To reduce motor carrier fleet accident rates by establishing a company standard for safe driving

Ny DOT, Jan 27, 2005

A preventable accident is one which occurs because the driver fails to act in a reasonably expected manner to prevent it. In judging whether the driver's actions were reasonable, one seeks to determine whether the driver drove defensively and demonstrated an acceptable level of skill and knowledge. The judgment of what is reasonable can be based on a company-adopted definition, thus establishing a goal for its safety management programs.

Note that the above definition of preventable accident is focused on the actions of the driver. It is the commonly used definition in evaluating driver performance. A broader definition, which can be used to evaluate the driver's and the motor carrier's actions, is given by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations as follows: Preventable accident on the part of a motor carrier means an accident (1) that involved a commercial motor vehicle, and (2) that could have been averted but for an act, or failure to act, by the motor carrier, or the driver.

The concept of a preventable accident is a fleet safety management tool which achieves the following goals:

It helps establish a safe driving standard for the driver.
 
It provides a criterion for evaluating individual drivers.
 
It provides an objective for accident investigations and evaluations.
 
It provides a means for evaluating the safety performance of individual drivers and the fleet as a whole.
 
It provides a means for monitoring the effectiveness of fleet safety programs.
 
It assists in dealing with driver safety infractions.
 
It assists in the implementation of safe driving recognition programs.