Rain poses a whole host of problems for drivers, but chief among them is reduced visibility. Pooled water, flooding, hydroplaning, reduced braking power – these are all rain-induced challenges too, but without clear vision these hazards are even more dangerous. So what’s the deal with rain, and what can you do to improve and/or cope with wet weather vision?

Rain scatters light
Raindrops scatter light as it passes through them, making everything appear darker than normal. That’s on top of the fact that when it rains, the sky actually is darker, so everything is that much harder to see. The reduced light also diminishes a driver’s ability to see the contrast between different-colored objects, like the roadway and a car or a pedestrian.

Dim light also affects how the brain judges distance. Light from objects far away scatters as it passes through air molecules, making the objects appear hazy. When objects that are close-up are obscured because of the rain, they seem further away than they really are because your mind associates hazy images with long distances.

Then there’s the dreaded Mandelbaum Effect, a feature of the way the brain processes visual inputs. When visibility is poor, scientists say, people naturally focus on objects within three feet of them. That includes things like your dashboard and rear-view mirror, but, sadly, not what’s on the road. The reduction in longer-range awareness also affects your peripheral vision, which is critical to detecting objects – vehicles, pedestrians – that may be coming at you from the side.

A silver lining in the clouds
When the roadway is wet, you can see the reflection of brake lights two cars ahead of you from under the car you’re directly behind. Watching for this will give you a few extra seconds to react to people stopping up ahead. And, if you can’t see that reflection you’re too close to the car in front of you.

Other than that, there’s not much in your favor if you’re caught in the rain, but here are some ways to make your drive a little easier:

Keep it clean
Your windshield, that is, both inside and out. Fewer smudges mean less light scattering before it reaches your eyes. Also, replace your windshield wipers if they’re getting old or leaving heavy streaks. The fewer things obscuring your windshield, the better.

Shed some light on the subject…
Dedicated daytime running lights only illuminate what’s right in front of the vehicle, so you need to use your headlights to see as far ahead as possible. What’s more, in an increasing number of places the law requires drivers to turn on their headlights any time the windshield wipers are in use.

… but don’t overdo it
High beams are counter-productive in rain. Instead of helping you see farther ahead, rain will reflect more high-beam light back into your eyes, making it harder to see anything. Don’t use your four-way, or hazard lights to let people know you’re driving slowly. Use them only if you’re stalled or stopped on the side of the road. Other drivers won’t see your brake lights as easily, and if they think there’s a disabled vehicle ahead they may swerve or stop short, potentially causing a wreck.

Take it slow
Despite how the guy behind you may feel about it, the best thing in the rain is to reduce your speed. Going a little slower lets you to pay more attention to your surroundings and give you more time to stop instead of having to brake hard, risking a skid or hydroplaning. And in a downpour – when the rain is falling faster than your windshield wipers can clear it – your best bet is to pull off the road to a safe place and wait it out.

A few months ago, Automotive Fleet magazine ran a story with the heading “Too Much Information? The Dangers of Data Drowning.” It said that since the 1970s, fleet managers have seen data about their operations increase “from a trick to a torrent,” and asked how they can separate useful data from noise.

It’s true that fleet managers are drowning in data and that fleet services providers are responsible for generating more if it every day. But it’s important to acknowledge the strides that a number of providers have already made to resolve the problem, and that more efforts are in the works.

For example, at CEI we’ve made a significant investment to recreate ClaimsLink™, our core online accident management application. We’re also preparing to create the next generation DriverCare™, our fleet safety and risk management application. The current releases of each have helped turn fleet data into actionable information for years, but the new versions will mine that data in new ways, providing drivers and managers with more robust information. Both projects are the result of close cooperation with our customers, who communicate with us on issues like the ones raised in this article, as well as many others.

It’s to the mutual advantage of providers in this industry and their fleet customers to work closely together to identify what data is actionable, and how that data should be presented to get the maximum value out of it.

Studies show that, hour-for-hour, more accidents occur when it’s raining than when skies are clear. In fact, some studies say accident rates double in the rain, and that traffic fatalities are 40 percent higher than when roads are dry.

There are two reasons: rainwater mixes with oil that passing traffic sprinkles onto the road surface, creating a super-slippery coating; and puddles that cause tires to float just above the pavement. That rain-oil mix is most dangerous when it first starts to rain, because there hasn’t been enough rainfall to dilute and wash it away. It’s even more of a hazard after a long dry spell, because there’s more oil on the road. So, if you live in a dry climate, you need to be extra-cautious driving in the rain.

Make sure that when it rains, you follow these steps to keep yourself safe:

• Slow down.
• Put more distance between you and other vehicles.
• Use your headlights so other drivers see you better.
• Be less aggressive when passing, turning and braking.
• Keep your windshield fog-free.

Reminder: Make sure your tires are properly inflated in the warm weather, as blowouts are more common in extreme heat and cold.

Knowing when to use your headlights is as obvious as the difference between night and day, right. Not necessarily.

Headlights really have two purposes. One is to see where you’re going. The other is so every other person sharing the road – other vehicles and pedestrians – knows where you are. So other than at night, when you should you turn on your headlights?

The short answer is any time somebody might have trouble seeing your vehicle. To make the decision a non-issue, some manufacturers equip their vehicles with daytime running lights that are always on. But if that’s not the way your vehicle works, here are some guidelines to help you make your own decisions:

Twilight hours. The half-hour before dawn and after sundown are the most difficult times for drivers to see details and judge distances. Your headlights are a good antidote.

In the rain. Many states require you to turn your headlights on any time your windshield wipers are working. Whatever the law is where you live, it’s harder to see in the rain. Best to turn the headlights on when the skies darken enough without a drop falling.

In fog. Fog lights can really help, but if you don’t have them, use your headlight low beams. High beams will make your presence easier to detect, but make it harder for you to see the road ahead.

In traffic jams. Here the advantage is in protection from the rear. Headlights on means the tail lights are on, too, and that can help the driver behind you be alert to how close he or she is to you. And if you’re approaching a jam ahead, a great idea is to switch on your four-way flashers to signal that you’re slowing down a lot.

In the brightest sunshine. This may seem nonsensical, but here’s the reason: Bright sunlight can cause blinding reflections in drivers’ eyes, from other cars and reflections off their dashboards back onto their windshield glass. Headlights can help cut through that glare so that others can see you.

A company that moved into new offices found that its maintenance people were having an unusual number of accidents changing light bulbs. Since they were falling off ladders, the company decided to give them all additional training in how to use ladders.

But after the training sessions, too many of their maintenance men were still falling off their ladders. After looking into the problem more closely they discovered the problem. In the new offices, the ceilings were higher and the ladders were too short. They bought taller ladders and the accident rate quickly went back to normal.

The safety consultant we heard this from said that training is the most frequently suggested solution to reducing accidents, but that many times is not the answer.

We know that driver safety training has its benefits. CEI has heard from more than one driver that one of our lessons taught them something that enabled them to avoid an accident. But we also know that a lack of knowledge isn’t the only reason people have accidents. The main reason is bad driving habits.

So the real way to reduce fleet accidents is to break those habits and change driver behavior. And it can be done. CEI’s DriverCare Risk Manager is a tool that many fleets have used to drive down their accident rates by as much 20 to 30 percent. Training is one component. But there are others, including maintaining current files on driver behavior (for example, their recent history of accidents and motor vehicle violations), scoring them on a scale of risk according to that behavior, and automatically delivering consequences when their score breaks pre-defined risk thresholds.

One of the consequences, by the way, is training – either online, behind the wheel, or both. But fleet and safety managers can also assign training pro-actively, to remind drivers both that safety matters and the right way to drive.

Companies that have low accident rates often have in place a strong “safety culture.” That’s a company-wide value system in which safety is a way of doing business. It starts with commitment from the top levels of management, and it’s reinforced by successive levels all the way down, in both face-to-face communications and every other communication mode. Safety training is a part of a safety culture, but adding training alone to a company with a weak safety culture is probably not enough to make a serious and sustained difference.

Every Springtime we all head off to the annual NAFA Conference and name the new year’s Fleet Manager of the Year  and also the senior organizational leader who has helped the fleet management profession as the Fleet Executive of The Year. I am happy to announce the name of the winner and have CEI and DriverCare be the co-sponsor of this award with Fleet Financials magazine.

I personally do not choose the winner, but I am proud to announce the name at the opening breakfast meeting of the NAFA Conference. I will, however, take credit for promoting and formulating the nature and cause for this award. To me this recognizes the efforts of those not in fleet management who have served as a guiding mentor to fleet managers whose duty is to oversee the fleet transportation needs of their organizations. Fleet managers can’t arbitrarily decide the issues for fleet within their organizations. They need the counsel and input from senior leaders who shape fleet strategy as it pertains to the goals of the entity to be served.

Fleet executives provide representation as well to the very top of the organization so that the fleet management practices performed for the entity can be best appreciated to those at the top of the organization. Generally, the fleet executives who are vetted for this award are also responsible for other important areas of management, and this award is an expression of our appreciation for their efforts.

This will be our 11th year of presenting someone with the “Red Badge of Courage”. I look forward to making this award for many years to come. It truly is a duty that I and our teams at CEI and DriverCare are very proud to be a part of. Congrats to all who participate and especially to our named winners.

Vehicle entertainment centers substantially decrease driver safety

Imagine that we, as managers and parents, could decide what kinds of equipment would be in the vehicles our employees and children drive. Would the list include TVs, computer-like dashboards with many complex menus, and a portable phone booth? I think we’d place these on the Don’t Install list.

But I’ve got news for you: those items are being integrated into our vehicles today, and these choices are being made by — yes, you’ve got it — managers and parents. And while they are acceding to decisions by automakers who are fighting the battle to increase market share, they’re forgetting about the unintended consequences of all this ingenuity at the fingertips of their fleet drivers and our children.

Why do we modern humans ignore the Law of Unintended Consequences when formulating decisions like these? Most likely it’s because we live our lives under the sunny skies of “it won’t happen to me”. We allow ourselves to become blinded by the excitement of all the new things we can do with this electronic technology, rather than considering what could actually happen to us. Hey, I include myself in this mix.
And think about this: while each of us firmly believes “it won’t be me” who will crash his or her vehicle while playing with these technologies, we forget the possibility that “the other guy” may be doing the same thing and about to crash into us. After all, when was the last time you drove down a road in zero traffic?

The prospect that another driver’s attention could be completely absorbed by one or more gadgets should scare the wits out of us all. And it should make us all feel equally insecure about sending our employees and children onto the roadways to dodge all those “other guys”. You’re not even safe if you’re just walking on a sidewalk – distraction doesn’t make any exceptions.

I’m horrified, but at the same time fascinated, that so many people find it acceptable to convert their vehicles into mobile entertainment centers, just because they can. To me, it’s as if everybody decided to take up bungee cord jumping because bungee cord manufacturers spent millions putting jump centers everywhere and on advertising to make it look like everybody just has to do it.

Frankly, I’m feeling less safe on the road with every announcement about some new entertainment feature available for our vehicles. The Law of Unintended Consequences is real. So is the Law of Averages. The more technology we admit into our vehicles, the sooner more of us are going become its potential poster children for them.

This is the third in my series of blogs about breaking our addiction to driving while using a cell phone, what I call “Driving Under Addiction,” “DUA” for short. The solution may yet take the same path our society took toward drunk driving.

When I first got my license in the 1960s, there wasn’t the big stigma we associate today with drinking and driving.  I don’t even remember alcoholism being spoken about as a disease, much less a scourge on our highways. To me and my friends, getting together at a bar or party naturally meant drinking and then driving back home. It’s what everybody did, and while people took notice when a drunk driver killed himself or somebody else, it was regarded as unfortunate, but nobody made a national issue out of it or tied it back to their own behavior.

It wasn’t until 1980, when Mothers Against Drunk Driving  (MADD) was founded, that people started taking notice that something was very wrong about the way society looked at drinking and driving. It got a new name – DUI, for Driving Under the Influence and henceforth identified it as a real problem that had to be dealt with.  But, at first, it seems that the focus was more on alcoholics as people who suffered from a newly defined disease than a problem in the general population.

Next thing we knew, reports of deaths and injuries were being tabulated and publicized in a campaign that you couldn’t ignore.  Over the next 10 to 20 years, any empathy we may have developed  for alcoholics was replaced by fury and shame for the driver who was intoxicated.  Penalties for getting caught increased, so that today the DUI laws have substantial teeth: drunk  drivers face not only stiff fines and the loss of their license, they can go to jail.  We don’t even wait any more for a fatality to trigger these kinds of penalties.

Today we know that you don’t have to be an alcoholic to be a legally drunk driver. We also know that just one drink can make it dangerous for you to get behind the wheel, even if it doesn’t make you legally drunk. But it took us 20 to 30 years to get here.

Cell phone addiction may not qualify medically as a disease like alcoholism.  But if we want to stop people from using cell phones behind the wheel of a moving vehicle, we have to stigmatize it just like we did drinking and driving.  We have to turn our fury and shame on violators, even when there isn’t an accident, and there’s no reason why we should wait 20 to 30 years to get there.

It’s up to each us to get our society there now, today. We need to make sure our kids know that a moving automobile is no place for using a hand-held electronic device for any reason, and that driving while affected by a DUA is totally intolerable.

The lessons learned from seat belts apply to cell phones

As I wrote earlier this month, I‘m devoting a series of blogs to the critical challenge of breaking America’s addiction to using a cell phone while driving. We’ve actually had similar struggles with highway danger over the generations. One was our journey toward greater seat belt use. This was quite a social phenomenon and one that captured our attention for three decades or more.

I remember when cars didn’t have seat belts. Then, when they first started to appear in the 1970s, we drivers simply ignored them as a clumsy inconvenience.  As late as 1984, only 14 percent of all U.S. drivers were using them. The result, of course, was that people were needlessly being killed or seriously injured in traffic accidents. The tragedy prompted safety proponents to raise a cry for increased seat belt use.

This morphed into aggressive campaigns by many civic and commercial organizations to “buckle up”, with ads and publicity that cited frightening statistics about the safety and welfare of drivers on the roads. A period of ten years followed when trend lines for seat belt-use were publicized every three months, including charts showing rising seat-belt use in the nation, with a national goal of 70 percent usage.

From 1984 through 1994, one by one the states enacted laws that made it a crime for vehicle occupants not to use seat belts.  They gave police the power to issue tickets, creating a financial penalty for our lack of concern – a small price to pay if you were lucky enough to walk away from a crash unscathed. Seat belt usage inched forward to 37 percent in 1986, reached 49 percent by 1990, and climbed to 67 percent by 1994.  Then came a series of coordinated national “Click It or Ticket” campaigns every summer. And what I remember is that as safety consciousness increased, we adults were taunted by our children when we didn’t buckle up.  The scare campaigns had reached them, and they grew up with the belief that using your seat belt wasn’t optional.  So it was that our children came to our rescue, as we adults re-invented our driving habits.

All this testifies to the idea that changing ingrained driving habits takes a journey of implementation.  Embracing  the benefits of seat belt use began from a point of pure ignorance and less-than-optimal belt design took a journey of  some three decades, as society grew to accept the the idea that not using your seatbelt is virtually unthinkable.  We’re still not where we ought to be, but usage in the U.S. is now at 85 percent, and in Canada it’s over 90 percent.  As a result, since the mid-1970s, tens of thousands of lives have been saved and hundreds of thousands of serious injuries have been avoided.

But when it comes to the addiction of cell phones, we can’t afford a journey that lasts three decades.  Worse, our children aren’t going to be the ones to help us – they’re even more addicted to hand-held electronic devices than we are.  So, it’s up to us, those who already drive, to take the lead.  We’re the ones who have to insist that cell phones are turned off by everyone in the vehicle when the wheels start rolling.  We owe to ourselves and everyone at risk today to do the right thing, and that is “turn it off” when the engine’s running.  So let’s start now teaching the right behavior and getting everybody – kids, especially –  and kids to break the cell phone habit .

Parents can prevent teaching distracted behavior

By Wayne G. Smolda: CEO and Founder

In December, the National Transportation Safety Board warned us about cell phone use behind the wheel, but this time the warning made a surprising characterization about the mobile devices; cell phones are as addictive as smoking.

This pronouncement all but throws in the towel in our battle about texting and phone calling while behind the wheel. It suggests we’ve lost this battle because nothing is working. We can’t encourage, scare, implore, or educate or regulate against this behavior to stop its growth.

As I write this blog, almost no one would be surprised if I were doing this from my car on my smart phone (which I’m not – but it’s possible). That’s the shocking news about us: cell phones are a national addiction, no matter what age or what we’re otherwise doing, like driving or stopped at a red light, both the same thing. And yes I do have this problem as well, and because of this I return to the “Avoiding Distracted Driving” online lesson in DriverCare several times a year to keep me on the right path.

Rationalizing away the allure to this beastly device will keep us at risk and that risk is rising. Amazingly, it now seems more important to be communicating than getting where we’re going. The basic needs of our society used to be food, shelter, and clothing. Then we added transportation. Today we re-wrote the list and added communication, and we’ve put this at the top of the list.

The issue deserves, and demands, a continuing conversation. This is why this past Sunday morning I decided to write a series of blogs about it. This first focuses on the disturbing epiphany I had that we’re teaching everyone, young and old, that we should be inextricably connected to our devices no matter where we are or what we’re doing.

I watch my children and grandchildren text messaging hundreds of times a day in between the simplest of activities, stopping intermittently from what they are doing to respond to a message or even simply check if they have one they may have missed. Between hoops, my grandson can’t stop – take a shot — look at his cell phone — take another shot — text a message. I’m bewildered that he can’t stop using his cell phone, which he handles as more priceless than his basketball. What used to captivate his attention (playing hoops) now takes a backseat to texting. Priorities have been turned upside down, with disastrous unintended consequences lying ahead.

As parents we allow this behavior. In fact we’re responsible for it. W ho bought the addictive device in the first place anyway, and who paying for the service! Try to take it away. Try even to look at your kids’ messages. Why does they even need a “passcode” to access them at their age? Why do we allow children to “lock us out”? Out of what? What we need to ask ourselves is, are we exercisiong our parental authority with these device-carryingchildren, or as I believe, are we abdicating our role as parents?

In reality, our culture is developing a dangerous habit that we’ll be living with for quite a while, because we do nothing about it as we stand by and watch it grow. While we don’t seem to be able to break our colleagues’ mobile device addition (or even our own) we can and should do something about it with our children. We won’t let them smoke at 10 or 12, so why do we let them develop this bad and incredibly dangerous behavior right under our nose?

I suggest that we all, parents and grandparents, do what we should do: raise our next generation responsibly and safely. For me, I will insist and enforce that the children (family or friends) in my car turn off these beastly addictive devices, and collect and then store them in the trunk until we park the car. And then I’ll do the same with my own. Show and tell; it’s our duty, and maybe we can stop the growth of this behavior just the same way we as a society did with smoking. If we don’t we’ll be driving around on streets loaded with tens of millions more distracted drivers (inexperienced ones to boot) than we have today. And then we’ll all be unsafe as we drive to work, to church, to school, to soccer practice, or to the mall every day.

Next in the series will discuss the parallel of seat-belt usage trends and texting while driving.