Instructional Technologies Inc. is now offering a library of Incident-Based Training lessons, designed to help fleets reduce exposure to liability and provide necessary training for drivers.

Incident-Based Training lessons are shorter, highly focused courses designed to assist with remedial training after a particular incident. Punitive damages can occur if a fleet doesn’t make moves to improve safety after an incident by addressing an error a driver may have made, according to ITI.

“While fleets are using a variety of vehicle technologies to successfully improve safety, it is also making them increasing liable when an incident does occur,” said Laura McMillan, vice president of training program development at ITI. “With these new courses, we are the only company offering fleets the ability to choose from a library of lessons that address the behaviors that led to an incident and on the most common violations, and quickly assign them after an event has occurred.”

Lessons are typically 5-7 minutes in length to provide quick training focused on the driver’s actions. This can help managers by not requiring them develop new training for every incident. It also gives drivers a focused training session with info on the behaviors that led to the incident and how to avoid it in the future while respecting their time as well.

“Incident-Based Training also reduces potential litigation and prevents or eliminates the kind of punitive damages that happen when you know an incident has occurred and don’t take any action to address it,” said McMillan. “With these lessons you can prove your company took steps as quickly as possible to address the cause of the incident.”

Topics for the new Incident-Based Training courses from ITI were selected from a survey of high frequency incidents and a review of CSA data for infractions, and are targeted at addressing observed behaviors and recorded events. Expanded future offerings will include additional high frequency issues. The growing library of topics includes:

• Avoiding Fixed Objects

• Intersections

• Hours of Service

• Defensive Driving

• Winter Driving

• Pre-Trip Inspection

• Right Turns

• Left Turns

• Space Management

• Driver Distractions

• Rear End Collision Avoidance

• Backing and Docking

• Speed Management

• Basic Vehicle Controls