Sober, I like your opinion that knowing these safety rules verbatim will not necessarily make you a safe employee. You can have the sharpest mind in the world and can learn this stuff in an hour, yet at the same time be a very bad driver.
I'm not saying the 5 seeing habits don't make you a better driver, they do. I really believe if you practice them you can protect yourself from most of the idiots on the road.
I think UPS is taking the wrong approach by wanting us to memorize the rules in lieu of actually UNDERSTANDING them. The focus is on being able to recite them when the focus should be on practicing them. Instead of having me recite the seeing habits on my annual ride, I think we should discuss how I'm using them in the specific driving situation. This way, management is actually teaching us something.
I agree with you UPSLifer that UPS cares about the safety of its employees. UPS is in business to make a profit. Injuries and accidents erode our profits. After labor and fuel, I'm sure injuries and accidents are up there in the 'cost' column. Naturally UPS will do whatever they can to minimize this cost. I believe there is nothing wrong with this, its part of our great system of capitalism.
However, to steal a phrase from Sober, don't insult my intelligence by claiming you care about my well being. You don't. If I break my ankle walking down a steep driveway that is iced over do you care about my pain? When I call you, what is the first thought that enters your mind as a center manager? I know what it is, its 'man this is going to screw up my safety picture' and 'this is going to cost us tens of thousands of dollars'.
There is nothing wrong with this thinking in my opinion. This is a business and the goal of a business is to make money. Where I have a problem is when you actually claim that you care about me personaly. I've heard at a PCM from a center manager that he cares about the cost involved and he also cared about us. Save it.