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Read moreNow is the perfect time to take a closer look at your fleet safety program and address. Distracted driving is a significant risk for drivers across the country—in fact, according to the Australian Automobile Association, “ distraction is the main contributing factor in about 16% of Australia's serious casualty road crashes” (1).
Distracted driving remains a pressing issue, with a steady increase in deaths tied to distracted driving every year.
For commercial fleets, addressing distracted driving is critical to prioritize safety for their drivers and others on the road while also protecting their company's reputation and bottom line. Distracted driving impacts fleet operators in several ways:
- Driver care and compensation
- Vehicle damage
- Increased insurance premiums
- Lawsuits
- Company reputational damage
The 3 main types of distractions while driving
What is distracted driving? According to the Road Safety Education Organization, distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from the road. There are three main types of driving distractions:
- Visual: taking your eyes off the road
- Manual: taking your hands off the wheel
- Cognitive: taking your mind off of driving (2)
Texting while driving is the most worrisome activity, as it spans all three types of driving distractions. According to the Western Australian Centre for Road Safety , sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road “for even 2 seconds, your stopping distance is significantly longer than normal, which increases your crash risk”(3).
How to address distracted driving
Effectively mitigate distracted driving in your fleet with the three Ts: talk, train and track. These can help guide your distracted driving policy.
1. Talk: Keep staff lines of communication open.
- Explain why safe driving is important to both the driver and the company
- Highlight the dangers of distracted driving
- Underscore the human and monetary costs associated with accidents
2. Train: Train drivers before they drive.
- Emphasize your safety culture and underscore what you consider unacceptable driving practices
- Offer a combination of both behind-the-wheel training and online training
- Refresh training on an ongoing basis to address new risks and keep driving safety top-of-mind
3. Track: Use technology to track data points that help combat distracted driving.
- Gather visual evidence of driver behaviors
- Make sure you have full visibility into driver status and road conditions
- Carefully document accident circumstances
To gain driver buy-in, frame monitoring tools like GPS tracking or AI-powered dashcams as tools to promote the safety and well-being of drivers, rather than a punitive measure. With video evidence on their side, drivers can have peace of mind when dealing with false claims or a no-fault incident. Talking about these topics helps integrate safety and buy-in into the company culture. Once the conversation is in motion, the next step is implementing driver training and coaching to reinforce the importance of addressing distracted driving behaviors.
By utilizing GPS tracking technology or AI-powered dashcams to gather visual information about what’s happening on the road and in the cab, fleet managers can gather insights to support safe operations.
Real-life story from a fleet manager
Lounge Lovers operates an 18-strong fleet of vans and five heavy rigid trucks across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia to achieve this aim. As well as delivering furniture locally, the company’s fleet transfers goods across the interstate between its warehouse hubs.
The company integrated AI-powered in-cab video into their fleet management solution to get an extra pair of eyes on the road with every driver. The approach transformed their safety protocols.
“I chose to stay with Verizon Connect mainly because of the great customer service. All of the staff I deal with are top-class. I actually look forward to our interactions.”
With Reveal’s GPS tracking capabilities, JD can monitor the location and status of vehicles in near real-time. With data gathered on speeding and harsh driving, he can also coach safer and more fuel-friendly driving styles across the company’s fleet.
-JD Theobald, National Transport Manager at Lounge Lovers
Watch the complete conversation with Lounge Lovers.
How you can use technology to help curb distracted driving
Address distracted driving with telematics and Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) solutions like:
- Fleet tracking: Build a foundation of safety data around driver behavior using GPS plot points, plus additional vehicle information and insights.
- Road-facing dashcams: Get the full context around what the driver sees and what factors are contributing to their experience.
- Driver-facing dashcams: See surrounding circumstances of how the driver is operating the vehicle and what behaviors occur while driving.
- In-cab alerts: Notify drivers with an audio alert when distracted driving behaviors, drowsiness, phone calling and smoking are detected. Managers can review this data for customized coaching.
- AI-powered data: Enable smart solutions that can alert you to events that require your immediate attention. AI analysis and classification of any events make it easier for fleet managers to determine what actions need to be taken quickly.
In-cab video gives a holistic picture of driving events and can provide a dual view of the driver and the road. Video evidence can also be used to determine if disciplinary action is needed in the event of a serious driver infraction or can aid in accident investigations and in determinations of liability.
To learn more about how distracted driving impacts commercial fleets and how dashcams can help, dive into 4 useful tips for fleet safety using dashcams for vehicles
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