Specialized Driver Training: Elevating Defensive Driving from a Simple Awareness to a Proactive, Crash-Free Reality

Abstract

Driving is the highest-risk activity employees undertake in the service end of the Oil and Gas industry. Knowing this, Schlumberger has initiated an aggressive campaign to address the specialized training needs of its drivers in Canada. The program is designed to enhance a driver's ability to recognize and respond early to changing conditions and to deal with emergency situations. A driver's attitude is key to the success of the program. The training is successful when drivers leave with a firm commitment: "I will not have a crash, I will not cause a crash, I will not be a victim." To be successful, training for this environment requires both comprehensive theory and intensive, hands-on training. Classroom sessions, including journey and fatigue management, are interspersed with practical sessions. The training is delivered at a 32 hectare (80 acre) extreme driving maneuvers facility, complete with state-of-the-art innovative training equipment and time-proven training programs. Practical exercises include in-vehicle distractions, wheel-drop response, serpentine maneuvering, animal avoidance, single and complex evasive maneuvers, and backing skills. A remote-controlled vehicle "pop-up" prop is used to simulate a head-on collision, and a remote signaling device is used to reinforce trained eye lead-time, reaction time and vehicle handling. Rear, front, and all-wheel lock-ups are recreated; four-wheel steering vehicles are used to simulate acceleration and deceleration (compression) skids. A driver's competency is then assessed during a series of lengthy, hands-on rural and urban driving tests. This allows the qualified instructor to make a comprehensive evaluation of the driver's ability to implement their training in a proactive manner - to be crash-free while driving in the sometimes extreme driving conditions found in the Canadian operating environment. Introduction There are many factors that make driving the most high-risk activity employees undertake in the service end of the Oil and Gas industry. Training must address the factors that contribute to making driving such a high risk. Some of the more prevalent factors are:The Driver (Attitude)Driving in Western CanadaWeatherActivity LevelsDriver Experience LevelsTerrain and Road ConditionsDriver AlertnessAnimalsLight and Visibility Conditions To be successful, a specialized driver-training program must be focused on the environment that the Canadian driver will be exposed to. Driving in Western Canada Winter driving in Canada is usually without incident; but the variation and combination of winter conditions do create significant risk. Some of the more prevalent factors, listed below, contribute to hazardous driving experiences in the western Canadian "oil patch." Weather Being some distance from the equator, Canada is exposed to the full range of winter driving conditions. Poor visibility and poor traction are two primary concerns. Western Canadian drivers experience weather that typically ranges from –40° to +40°C (–40° to +40°F). What is unique compared to other areas is that this range can be experienced over a dramatically short period of time. Chinook winds cause these sudden and extreme changes in weather, a frequent occurrence during winter months. Conditions can change from bitterly cold to balmy melting temperatures - and back again - within hours or a few days, significantly affecting the driving environment. Driving in freezing winter conditions is hazardous in itself, but near-freezing conditions tend to produce greater risk because traction can vary dramatically with only a slight change in temperature. "Black ice" and periodic freezing rain are two such risks.