Generally, for clear-cut preventability decisions such as most backing accidents, you may make the call without the need to consult with or involve others.

However, in borderline cases or cases where the driver feels you have ruled harshly, you may need or want help. For many motor carriers, this help comes in the form of an accident review committee.

An accident review committee is a tool you can use to help determine accident preventability in difficult situations, or cases involving many variables or unusual circumstances.

Often made up of representatives from several departments as well as select drivers, an accident review committee offers several advantages to your decision-making process:

• Your drivers believe that they will be treated in a fair and timely manner — that they will get their chance to be heard by an impartial body.
• You are afforded a degree of protection from individual driver frustration since the decision-making responsibility is shared among several individuals.
• Since your accident review committee is made up of representatives from various departments and functions, your safety message is more likely to be shared throughout the organization.

Who should serve on your accident review committee? Consider including at least one representative from your:

• Operations department — Whether a frontline supervisor or manager, these individuals are familiar with your dispatch schedules, routes, and other related areas. They can provide valuable input should a driver introduce a conflict or circumstance involving a load assignment or operational practice as a contributing factor to an accident.
• Maintenance department — Having a representative familiar with the mechanical working of your equipment and general maintenance procedures is recommended. Claims of faulty equipment or equipment breakdown can be evaluated fairly.
• Driver force — Your drivers have the most knowledge and experience out on the road. They understand the changing traffic and weather conditions, and everyday hazards of the job none better. They can provide insight from a real-world perspective on how an accident could have been avoided.

Finally, you or another representative from the Safety Department should serve as chairperson. The exception to you serving as the chairperson, or even on the review committee, is if you are the person that makes the initial preventability rulings.

Since you or another representative from the Safety Department are most familiar with your company’s safety program and safe driving principles, you or your representative can serve as a guide for the committee — in addition to making any final or deciding vote.

A few final notes on your accident review committee:

• Keep in mind that it is not a popularity contest. The integrity of your process is critically important. In fact, the name of the driver should not be revealed.
• Drivers should not be called before the committee to discuss an accident. An accident should be evaluated solely on the facts of the case as presented in the written documentation (the accident file and the driver’s written statement of appeal and documentation).
• All voting should be by secret ballot.