On March 29, New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) held a Train-the-Trainer session as part of an initiative to certify a new team of safe driving trainers for in-person Vision Zero Safety Training.
DCAS Claims Coordinator Veronica Rodriguez and Crash Coordinator Nate Koszer teamed up to provide the training which was attended by 26 trainers from 7 agencies including the Department of Sanitation, Department of Environmental Protection, NYC Parks, Department of Correction, Administration for Children's Services, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and DCAS.
DCAS works with the National Traffic Safety Institute (NTSI) to certify trainers. The certification requires classroom work and assessment of each applicant conducting live training.
Photo: NYC DCAS
Since the Vision Zero initiative began in NYC in 2012, DCAS and its partner fleet agencies have now trained over 90,000 fleet operators in safe and defensive driving. DCAS focuses on training for non-emergency staff while NYPD and FDNY offer their own safety training which includes an Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC). In addition to life-saving driver tips, employees can receive insurance benefits and points reductions after completing the all-day course.
In 2020, in-person training was disrupted due to the COVID-19 emergency. DCAS introduced an online version of the course to maintain the pace. To date, over 19,000 fleet operators from across 53 separate agencies and offices have completed the online version of the course, which begins with a safety message from Mayor Adams.
Starting April 2023, DCAS and Fleet agencies will return to regular in-person training while also maintaining the online option.
Photo: NYC DCAS
DCAS safety training emphasizes the need for focus while driving at all times; reminds operators that DCAS bars hand-held and hands-free phone use by drivers; explains the 3-second rule for avoiding rear-end crashes; and reviews the regulations for proper fleet operation.
In 2023, DCAS will introduce discussion of Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) based on an on-going pilot; review crash safety with electric vehicles; and present safety risk reporting for each vehicle through Fleet Office of Real Time Tracking (FORT).
All authorized city fleet operators must complete this course. Agency performance on this training requirement is also reported in the Mayor’s Management Report (MMR), fleet section.
City fleet operators can either enroll for online training, or sign up for in-person training by reaching out to their Agency Transportation Coordinators (ATCs) or emailing DCAS Fleet.
