Find out about the hidden costs of bad driving and how Zego's flexible cover can help you save money.
When it comes to the benefits of good driving, increasing the safety of the person behind the wheel is often the first thing that comes to mind. But the advantages of driving safely don’t stop there, especially if you’re a fleet manager looking to optimise your operations and maximise your savings.
A report published recently by drivetech.co.uk shows that there is a direct link between bad driving behaviour and a higher cost to running a company vehicle. In this post, we’ll look at the different ways that bad driving can increase your costs and we’ll explore what you can do to reduce this by helping your drivers improve their safety.
Vehicle wear
When a driver consistently drives in a reckless style over a sustained period of time, their behaviour will really start to take its toll on the vehicle’s tyres. In fact, drivetech.co.uk’s research suggests that bad driving causes an average increase of 73% in vehicle maintenance costs.
In addition to causing more damage to the tyres, other bad driving behaviours like over-revving and idling will also wear out a vehicle’s engine more quickly. When problems like these mount up, it can even lead to accelerated depreciation of a vehicle’s value.
Increased vehicle downtime
Not only is bad driving more damaging to a vehicle, but it also increases the likelihood of a vehicle being off-road due to a breakdown or an accident. If more of your vehicles are off road, you may end up paying more administrative costs to use replacement vehicles and you are likely to spend more money on repairs.
By encouraging your drivers to stick to good driving practices, you can help to minimise vehicle downtime, reduce the amount you are spending on avoidable admin costs and improve your operational efficiency.
Insurance premiums
As many as 64% of all traffic accidents are caused by distracted drivers. Accidents cost your fleet, not only in terms of increasing your overall vehicle downtime, but also due to the impact they have on your insurance premium. Over time, if your drivers are involved in more accidents, this will have a knock on effect on your insurance premium, which is likely to increase due to the amount paid out in claims.
If you build up a long history of claims over time, you may also limit the number of options you have when it comes to choosing an insurance provider. A fleet with a poor claims record will appear a lot riskier to insurers. As a result, some companies may be unwilling to offer you a quote.
Brand reputation
The damage that bad driving does to your brand’s reputation is an expense that is almost invisible. However, if your drivers are behaving recklessly on the road in a vehicle marked with your companies’ name and logo, it’s worth thinking about the impression that this will make on other road users.
In turn, bad driving can affect your company’s reputation and potential business prospects as a result. If you operate a fleet of private hire drivers, your drivers may also provide customers with a bad experience, which means your customers may be less likely to use your services again.
At Zego, we provide flexible fleet insurance solutions that are as unique as your business, helping you to save on running costs and maximise your efficiency. We're backed by some of the biggest names in insurance to help keep your fleet on the road.
You can learn more about how we can help you improve the safety of your drivers, manage your risk and provide cover that works for you by visiting our Fleet insurance page.