The Importance of Incident Reporting for Fleets

17 Jun 2022

When managing a fleet, we all hope that everything will be seamless, go to plan and that everybody will get the most out of their time driving. Unfortunately, however, this is not always the case. Incidents happen, and when they do, it is crucial to know exactly what to do, how to report an incident and any further steps you can take to minimise the risk of future damage as much as possible. 

Thankfully, in recent years incident reporting has been made far easier. Making the transition to using online systems for incident reporting has helped save valuable time, making the process of incident reporting much simpler and more efficient by allowing fleets to stay on top of all incidents. 

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What is incident reporting?

Incident reporting involves following the correct procedure following an incident within your fleet. When an incident occurs, it should be reported as soon as possible. It’s also important that the exact nature of the report is taken in as much detail as possible and that all information is covered.

Helpful information that you should take note of if an incident occurs:

  • Circumstances
  • Details of any witnesses
  • Indication of blame
  • Number of passengers or injuries
  • Police involvement
  • Speed
  • Stolen items
  • Third-party details
  • Weather conditions.

What is classed as a fleet Incident?

According to a recent RAC survey, it was found that a quarter of all road traffic accidents in the UK involved someone who was driving for work. With the number of workplace incidents being so high whilst driving, it is vital that all incidents, no matter the severity, are reported accurately and as quickly as possible, showing why keeping track of fleet incident reports is so important.

An incident does not have to be serious or cause a large amount of damage to need reporting. It is often the day-to-day minor incidents that people disregard as an incident, which causes a streamlining of problems if there is any damage, or even if the incident has been reported incorrectly (or with incorrect information!). No matter how small the incident may seem, reporting it is a must.

Examples of incidents that need to be reported:

  • Incidents caused by weather
  • Collisions with other vehicles
  • Near misses
  • Injuries
  • Any vehicle damages

Why fleet incident reporting is important

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Costs

There are many reasons why fleet incident reporting is essential, but one of the biggest and simplest reasons is keeping costs down. The longer you leave any damage made to your vehicle, the higher the expenses to get it fixed. Reporting the incident as soon as it occurs means that the appropriate repairs can be made and prevent further damages and expenses.

Contacting the right people

Along with keeping costs down, incident response is also crucial as it allows you to be in touch with the right people to help. By reporting an incident, you will be put in touch with repair management, who will recommend the most suitable places for repairs and give all relevant parties digital access to all information.

Quick Recovery

Following an incident, no matter the size, you will want to be out on the road again as soon as possible and will need the vehicle also to be ready for the road. Having access to an online incident response system reduces long admin processing times significantly, and all necessary documents and information are stored in one place for everybody to see.

Reporting an incident promptly logs the incident immediately, streamlines the process of making any necessary repairs, and gets things up and running again.

Need to report an incident?

With SG Fleet, you can benefit from dedicated accident management support. If you or one of your drivers has been involved in an accident, we can help get the vehicle back on the road, ensuring your business keeps running.

Get in touch with us today to get your fleet covered by our accident management support service.

 

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