57,175.
That’s the number of Virginia local government employees trained on defensive driving techniques through the VMLIP Where the Rubber Meets the Road (WTRMTR) campaign since 2010.
That’s 57,175 safer drivers on Virginia’s roadways, and less frequent and severe losses for members of VMLIP.
After eight years, the campaign came to a close this February at a banquet in Glen Allen, VA. More than 86 members were in attendance at the last banquet and trainer update.
“The campaign began eight years ago, with 15 members signed-on, as a means to confront two serious issues – motor vehicles as the number one cause of occupational fatalities, and automobile losses accounting for nearly half of all claims costs for VMLIP,” said VMLIP Director of Risk Services Thomas Bullock.
Throughout the eight years of the campaign, 88 members signed-on, 307 member employees were provided train-the-trainer instruction so they could provide defensive driving training to member drivers, and more than 57,000 member drivers were instructed.
The campaign was award-winning, receiving the Award for Excellence in Performance from the Association of Governmental Risk Pools (AGRIP) at AGRIP’s Governance and Leadership Conference in 2015.
“We are very proud of the accomplishments of the WTRMTR campaign. It provided our members with the tools they needed to manage their fleet risk, and increased the awareness of defensive driving throughout our membership,” said VMLIP Managing Director Steve Craig.
“Throughout the life of the campaign, we have seen a reduction in the frequency and severity of auto claims, and as a result, VMLIP has been able to reduce overall auto liability rates by 20 percent for the pool,” said Craig. “The success that we have seen is attributable to our members, their commitment to the program and the principles of safe driving.”
While the campaign has ended, VMLIP will continue to make defensive driving training materials, including the VMLIP Safe Driving Course, safety bulletins, webinars, videos, and coaching systems, available to members on the VMLIP website and through the VMLIP Online University.
Members who have been participating in the program and receiving a five percent auto premium credit will not see an increase in their rates. The five percent credit will be incorporated into member pricing.
“We want to encourage members to continue to train on their policies, such as vehicle use, distracted driving, seat belt usage, etc.,” said Bullock. “It’s important to keep driving safety at the forefront of drivers’ attention and to continue checking driving records, observing drivers, and train.”
VMLIP Risk Services staff Thomas Bullock, Fonda Craig, Pete Strickler and Karen Wall shared their Top Ten Safe Driving Tips, providing a lighthearted take on the most important safe driving tips to remember.
VMLIP safety consultants Fonda Craig, Eddie Shelton and Pete Strickler, as well as Thomas Bullock, will still be available to assist members with anything needed to continue to train employee drivers on defensive driving. Additionally, numerous defensive driving training resources are available in the VMLIP Multimedia Library.