Key Fleet Safety Tips for Distracted Driving

Now is the perfect time to take a closer look at your fleet safety programme and address. Distracted driving is a significant risk for drivers across the country—in fact, according to research, “distraction is a leading cause of accidents, with a fifth (19%) happening as the driver wasn’t paying attention in the UK” (1).

Distracted driving remains a pressing issue, with a steady increase in deaths tied to it every year.

For commercial fleets, addressing distracted driving is critical to prioritise 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

Types of distractions whilst driving

What is distracted driving? According to research distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from the road. Here are the top 10 distractions in the UK according to Vitality (2): 

• Eating or drinking something (45%)
• Changing locations on their GPS (20%) 
• Picking up something that fell on the floor (19%) 
• Turning their head around to talk to a passenger (17%) 
• Smoking or vaping (16%) 
• Using their phone (16%)
• Looking in a bag for something (15%) 
• Driving whilst not being able to see properly through the windscreen (15%) 
• Trying to restrain a child (5%) 
• Trying to restrain a pet (5%)

Texting while driving is the most worrisome activity, as it spans all three types of driving distractions. According to the Transport Research Laboratory on behalf of the RAC Foundation, “texting behind the wheel impairs drivers’ reaction times by more than one-third (35%)” (3).

How to address distracted driving

Effectively mitigate distracted driving in your fleet with the three Ts: talk, train and track. These can help you formulate a  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
• Explain the human and monetary costs associated with accidents

2. Train: train drivers before they drive.

• Emphasise your safety culture and highlight 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 behaviours
• 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 behaviours. 

By utilising 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.

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 behaviour 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 behaviours occur while driving. 
• In-cab alerts: notify drivers with an audio alert when distracted driving behaviours, drowsiness, phone calling and smoking are detected. Managers can review this data for customised 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

Sources: 

• (1) Distracted driving UK 
• (2) Research Vitality 
• (3)RAC Research