Delivery drivers spend a lot of time behind the wheel, so driving safety is a top priority. But there is always room for improvement, and there are insightful tips and tools that can help any driver feel more confident on the road.
The most important areas of driver safety
When it comes to driver safety tips, there are many that should always be top of mind, like wearing a seatbelt. According to the NHTSA, this simple measure reduces your risk of fatal injury in an accident by 45%, and your risk of moderate to critical injury is cut in half.
Another well-known safety tip is to always drive defensively. Defensive driving means operating under the assumption that other road users are unpredictable and could do something risky at any time — whether it's turning without signaling, stopping too abruptly, changing lanes without notice, or not leaving sufficient following distance. When you drive defensively, it forces you to remain aware of your surroundings at all times, maintain an appropriate speed, and be respectful and accommodating toward pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers.
The opposite of defensive driving is referred to as aggressive driving, and it isn't just bad for other people on the road, it's dangerous for you and potentially damaging to your car.
Excessive speed
Driving at faster speeds leads to a higher crash rate, and also to a greater risk of worse outcomes from crashes. And since speeding wastes gas, it's also wasting money. Reducing driving at excessive speeds can help fuel economy and save you money.
Rapid acceleration
Here's an aggressive driving action you may be less familiar with: slamming on the accelerator. This practice is sometimes called 'lead foot syndrome' and it can cause wear on your tires, brake rotors, and brake pads. This can cause jostling and vibration in the suspension and drivetrain components of your vehicle, which degrades your driveshaft over time and gradually impedes your car's ability to move and turn properly. Hard acceleration can lead to additional problems such as brake fluid leaks. And once again, like speeding, it just wastes a lot of gas.
Overly hard braking
What is hard braking? Technically, it's when you come to such a sudden stop that your speed decreases by 7.5 miles per hour within one second. Drivers may have to brake hard if they're approaching another driver or an obstacle too fast — but ironically, doing this increases their risk of being hit from behind since they haven't provided much warning to cars following them.
Can braking too hard damage a car? Definitely. Similar to hard acceleration, the friction caused by hard braking wears out your tires and brake pads. It also causes pads to overheat, which in turn can damage brake hoses and lead to fluid leaks. Also, if your car has an anti-lock braking system, it can sometimes unnecessarily engage during a hard brake, and this can weaken your brake pedal over time. Finally, there's the matter of fuel efficiency. Excessive braking might be lowering your fuel efficiency by as much as 40%.
Wear and tear
Based on these factors, if you drive aggressively, your vehicle is aggregating a lot of gradual damage. And because scheduled maintenance appointments may only happen annually, a serious problem could go unnoticed.
The best strategy is just to always drive defensively, and thus never drive aggressively. And if you begin to notice uneven pressure in your tires, or a feeling of softness or dullness in your brake pedal, it's a sign that you should perhaps go a bit easier on your car — and book a tune up with a mechanic.
It's also important to remember that if you've worn down your car's brake pedal, pads, hoses, or rotors due to high speed, hard stops, and flooring your accelerator, then the hazards that come with rain, ice, snow, and fog are intensified.
How Driving Insights empowers Dashers
Some poor driving habits develop over time. The fact is that a lot of aggressive drivers may not actually mean to be, and they may not understand how their behaviors could be putting themselves, their vehicles, and other road users at risk.
That's why DoorDash has created Driving Insights, an optional feature that you can use to observe your own driving behaviors. We can all benefit from constructive feedback — and Driving Insights is like feedback that you're sharing with yourself to help you be safer on the road.
Understand your driving habits
With Driving Insights, you can review analytics from your latest dash right in the app — including hard braking and acceleration. If you've been flooring your pedals, this is a great way to find out. And don't worry, it has no bearing on your dashing or your Dasher rating. It's simply for your information.
Get data-informed feedback
As Dashers know, the DoorDash Dasher app is already gathering data through regular GPS technology — that's how the system is able to communicate your whereabouts to the customer, and how Dasher support teams know where you are. Driving Insights simply takes information that's been collected and repackages it so you get a custom rundown of your own driving habits.
Reduce maintenance costs
Knowledge is power, and Driving Insights is designed to help you make more informed decisions. If you notice that you have a habit of aggressive driving — accelerating and hard braking, or going too fast — you can track and monitor that behavior, and change it. Ultimately, it delivers direct value to you since you'll save money on gas, vehicle upkeep, and insurance costs.
If you notice that you're accelerating or braking too hard, then you have the data you need to make changes. Driving Insights empowers Dashers to make their own decisions about improving their safety.
DoorDash keeps Dashers informed about safety
When you're on the road, DoorDash has your back. Dashers have access to Real-Time Safety Alerts through a partnership with samdesk, a global crisis detection platform, with a team who will proactively contact you in the event of an emergency in your area.
But if you want to take your safety into your own hands, Driving Insights is a powerful tool to use. By taking the data already collected by the DoorDash Dasher app and reconfiguring it to show driving patterns, you can gain a new perspective on how you navigate the road.
