Constant control of the behavior of the drivers of the company’s fleet has beneficial consequences and increases safety. This was the main topic of the webinar hosted by Matt Camden of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), which we attended. We want to inform you about the topics that were discussed, as well as some key ideas that you can offer to your team.
What were the topics of the driver behavior control webinar?
In the webinar, Matt opened three main topics:
- What behavior is considered risky?
- Do monitoring systems increase security?
- How to successfully use tracking systems?
Risky behavior of drivers is the cause of 90% of road accidents.
- Wrong decisions: improper acceleration, failure to maintain a sufficient distance or unreasonable driving in relation to road conditions.
- Inattention to what is happening outside the car, distraction in the car. Examples of this are applying the brake quickly and often or distracting with a passenger.
- Errors related to vehicle control such as overcompensation for cornering or breading at a dangerous moment.
- Mistakes that do not depend directly on the driver, such as falling asleep or a health problem.
What do the statistics tell us?
The table above is based on a study that shows the top risk behaviors on the road. Aggressive driving is among the most risky, but also one of the rarest. The most common is speeding with 12.8 times the probability of an accident.
VTTI also conducted a study on distracted driving, measuring the frequency and impact it has. Obviously, the environment and actions while driving affect driving and attention on the road. Depending on the behavior, the chance of a crash can be increased up to 35 times.
How to control Driver behaviour?
One way is through a system to track driver behavior. This technology monitors driving and identifies risky actions. Viasat Technology has named its driver behavior monitoring service Viasat Driver Manager. This is a solution for company fleets, which gives information about which car was driven by which driver at a certain time or period of time. In this way, liability is easily identified in the event of a fine on camera or in an accident. In addition, a distinction can be made between personal and business use, as well as authorizing drivers to access only certain vehicles. It is possible to use the company cards of the employees for identification in the car.