Producing Confidence
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Producing Confidence
EP 7: Driving Success: How Tory Turner Won $4,000 for Safe Driving
What does it take to drive 18,000 miles—the equivalent of crossing America 7.36 times—without a single driving violation? Tory Turner knows, and he's got a $4,000 check to prove it.
Meet the 2024 Drive for Safety campaign grand prize winner who beat incredible odds to maintain a perfect driving record throughout the year. As a natural gas mechanic regularly traveling to service heliports across multiple states, Tory faced the same road hazards we all do: distracted drivers, changing speed limits, and long hours behind the wheel. Yet somehow, he avoided even the smallest infractions that would have disqualified him instantly.
Listen now to discover practical safety techniques from someone who's proven they work in real-world conditions, and learn how you too can become "the example" others follow for road safety. Your perfect driving record—and perhaps your life—may depend on it.
Welcome everyone to the Producing Confidence Podcast. I'm your host today, samantha McGee, and we are joined by natural gas mechanic, tori Turner, who was the 2024 Drive for Safety campaign grand prize winner. Thank you for joining us today, tori.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's nice to be here.
Speaker 1:Glad to have you.
Speaker 1:And so, for those of you who don't know, the Drive for Safety campaign was started last year designed to promote and reward safe driving among our field employees, and so it really highlights the dedication and the discipline that's required to ensure a safe work environment on the road. And to be eligible to be entered in the campaign, dettol's employees must be a full-time employee, have a driving as regular part of their duties, an active motor vehicle record monitoring system, and they must be assigned and regularly drive a telematics monitor company vehicle, and so this eligibility is verified by our fleet supervisors and our operations team, and so each quarter, employees are eligible to enter into this drawing. Each quarter, they have to have zero points or infractions on their record and zero telematics violations, and they must complete the year with zero fleet training interventions required and experience zero motor vehicle accidents or incidents in 2024. And so, when we talk about incidents, that can just be a speeding, a stop sign violation, the tiniest thing. So, tori, you did a lot in 2024 to get this safe driving record, congratulations.
Speaker 2:Thank you. I don't want to say it was difficult, but it takes a lot of attention to make sure you don't have any issues while you're driving.
Speaker 1:I can imagine it does sound difficult. You say you don't want to say it sounds difficult. It does sound quite difficult because you go over five miles over the speed limit. You get a violation. How does that work?
Speaker 2:I think it's 10. 10, okay, so that's barely anything.
Speaker 1:I imagine that's a lot of attention to details and dedication involved there, and so last year we had 34 people. Oh sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 2:Yes, because every time it drops speed. When you're on a highway, it's always 10 miles an hour or more. Right and if you don't catch that sign, you know, that's one point.
Speaker 1:That's a ding right there, and so you're automatically disqualified. Yes, ma'am, wow. So last year we had 34 people across the entire Danos organization who drove without a violation, and so that's a very small number. I don't know if the top I should have gotten that for the top of my head with the number of field employees entered into the program, but we'll put that in the show notes. And Tori drove 18,000 miles in 2024, which is the distance from Los Angeles to New York 7.36 times. That's a lot of driving, a lot of attention to details and a lot of really safe driving habits. So way to go, tori. And then. So Tori was entered into this drawing with 34 participants, and he was selected as the winner of a $4,000 check. Woo-hoo, that's kind of a fun reward, right.
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am, it was.
Speaker 1:So we talked a little bit about the speeding as being one of the things that attracts, but do you know what else the telematics program tracks in your driving?
Speaker 2:It would be hard stopping or hard braking, stop signs. I'm not sure exactly what else, but I know hard braking is a huge one. A lot of people get dings on hard braking and stop signs.
Speaker 1:Which you know can happen to anyone, something you know a bird flies in front of you or something you'd want to slam on the brakes? I'm sure yes, ma'am. So how has this Drive for Safety program and the Danos safety culture affected your driving habits?
Speaker 2:I would say it made me a lot more attentive to anything that's going on on the road. I've always been careful, but I wanted to be extra careful with the focus that was going on, so I would just be hypervigilant while I was driving.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I imagine that you have to be especially driving as much as you drive and not having any little infractions or violations. Have you made any changes since your last year's habits? Since you're the title holder for 2024? How have your driving habits changed? Stayed the same, is anything you've picked up along the way? Um how?
Speaker 2:how have your driving habits changed? Stay the same as anything you've picked up along the way?
Speaker 1:Oh, I think it kind of emboldened me to to stay the same after winning the award.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a nice incentive. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1:What do you think was the most difficult part of the challenge?
Speaker 2:Um other drivers on the road? I think I think so. You can be in control of yourself all day long, but when you're entered into traffic and other drivers and some of them don't care for their safety or anybody else's it makes it that much more difficult to continue your safe driving.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I imagine they've got to keep a level head, even temper, not let any road rates creep in.
Speaker 2:I've done quite a few defensive driving courses and I think that plays a huge role in it because it teaches you to identify possible hazards that are going to be coming up. So somebody driving erratic or something, you want to try and stay away from them. Somebody tailgating, you just go ahead and get over. I mean just try to avoid any type of issue. Or if you see something, somebody's driving or swerving a little bit, just I mean you don't have to pass them, you can stay behind them. I mean it's just little things like that that you kind of try to look out for while you're on the road.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so did you do these classes just on your own, or is that something that you did as a Danos requirement?
Speaker 2:I've done several on my own, but Danos did give me one defensive driving course.
Speaker 1:Gotcha. That's a really great way to, a great way to be proactive and take initiative there.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you.
Speaker 1:So what are some of the tips or tricks that you could share with other drivers, whether they're participating in the program or not, about how to be a safe driver on the road?
Speaker 2:The best part of the best information I can give is just just keeping your keeping your eyes on the road. I know everybody says keep your eyes on the road, but I mean it's something that you really have to do. And then you also have to just try to look out for other drivers. If you're on the road alone nine times out of 10, you're not going to have an issue, you're not going to have an accident, you're not going to be speeding or doing anything that's going to endanger yourself, obviously. But I think the hardest part on the road is watching other drivers and if you can just start, watching other drivers and watching their habits or any erratic behavior or issues like that.
Speaker 1:I think that would help you. What about distractions? Say, like your phone, does that go in the glove compartment? What do you do with that?
Speaker 2:I think CarPlay is the best invention so far. If you get a phone call or something like that, you don't have to touch anything. You can just have Siri tell them that you'll call them back later, or anything like that. Well, you never take your eyes off the road.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what about? I know I feel like I read somewhere that you mentioned using cruise control a lot. Can you tell us?
Speaker 2:how you use that in your driving. Well, I I get up to speed to the speed limit and I set my cruise control and I use my cruise control on my entire trip. A lot of my trips are four and five hours apiece. So I'm just on the highway in cruise control and if I see a sign coming up, a speed limit sign, I go ahead and I hit my cancel and then I'll just coast down to the new speed and set my cruise again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great tip to remember, especially on those longer drives. So when you're driving four and five hours, where are you usually headed?
Speaker 2:Galliano, venice, pickinghoon, mississippi places, east, mostly Gotcha.
Speaker 1:And that's all to visit different customer sites, to go service.
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am, mostly heliports.
Speaker 1:Got it Very good, and so, other than the money, which is nice, what's something that motivates you to want to drive safely?
Speaker 2:You know, I think I want to be around for a while for one.
Speaker 1:That's a big one.
Speaker 2:I have six children and a wife, so a lot of that is family oriented. I want to be good for them. I want to be good for the company I work for. I just I want to be the example.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. You want to be the example you know, especially for your children. That's setting such a great example when they see you driving safely like that. That that's something they'll take with them when they're starting to drive. I'm sure how old are your kids?
Speaker 2:I have a from six-year-old all the way to 22-year-old.
Speaker 1:Okay, so some of them are driving age.
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is that anything that you? Is there any advice that you give to them when, when, they're starting to drive?
Speaker 2:I tell them to utilize cruise control, because some of them do have a lead foot.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, you really are embodying what the Zanall safety culture is, and through this program, I think that's something that we hope that others continue to do. I know there are a lot of others. You know you were one of 34 last year to enter into the pot, I guess, if you will. So we do have a lot of other people out there who are doing this, which is great, and so what we do want to know what'd you do with the money?
Speaker 2:I put it directly on bills.
Speaker 1:Great, Not as fun, but you know it's a great way to be responsible.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, Absolutely. I paid it off, though it's gone.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. All right, Tori, if you could leave our listeners with one piece of advice when it comes to driving safely, what would that one thing be?
Speaker 2:If you don't do it for yourself, do it for your family or try to be the example.
Speaker 1:Try to be the example. Do it for your family. I love that. That's great. I think that's something that we can all remember, whether we're using the telematics program and being monitored with our company vehicles or not. I think we can all be the example on the road. Like you said, use cruise control and really pay attention and be diligent to what the other drivers are doing and not be distracted. Yes, ma'am, Absolutely Well. Thank you so much. Is there anything else you wanted to add?
Speaker 2:I think that's it yeah.
Speaker 1:I think you left us all with some great advice and hopefully, if some of you listening are driving right now, you're setting your cruise control and you're minimizing the distractions already. And thanks again, tori, for joining us. We really appreciate you taking the time and keep on driving safe and keep on being the example. Thanks.
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am.
