Enhancing driver safety with advanced fleet solutions

Fleet management · Jul 30, 2024

Prioritizing driver safety is essential for the success and reputation of any business with a fleet. Business owners and fleet managers must ensure their drivers receive the necessary safety training and coaching to protect all road users and the surrounding community. A strong focus on safety not only reduces the risk of accidents but also minimizes downtime and associated costs.

Statistics Canada

reported sobering statistics to underline the importance and outcomes associated with driver safety. In 2021, nearly 1,800 Canadians lost their lives in fatal collisions, more than 8,000 sustained serious injuries and over 100,000 were injured due to factors such as speeding, impairment, fatigue and distracted driving. By addressing fleet safety through consistent, data-driven driver coaching, management can help drivers stay safer and more productive.

A major risk factor contributing to accident rates in Canada is distracted driving. It isn't just cell phones causing distractions. Drivers, especially those on long-haul trips, can be distracted by a variety of activities like eating, drinking, smoking, reading, adjusting control buttons, seats and steering wheels. Addressing these distractions through driver safety training and implementing connected fleet solutions, such as AI-powered dash cameras, is essential for reducing the risk of accidents and ensuring the safety of all road users.

Embracing technology for enhanced fleet and driver safety

To address these risks head-on, businesses should develop a robust driver safety program and invest in reliable fleet safety technology. Fleet safety solutions capture data from GPS, video and sensors inside and outside of ‌vehicles, alerting drivers to potential dangers and providing opportunities to take corrective action.

With real-time data, recorded footage and AI-driven insights for behaviour monitoring, fleet managers can keep a close eye on the entire fleet and individual drivers. Additionally, reviewing video footage allows managers to identify and correct risky driving habits, enhancing coaching and training programs.

Start small to prove return on investment (ROI)

Even budget-conscious fleets can begin collecting driving data with end-to-end fleet management technology, consisting of a fleet tracker and fleet management software, as a crucial first step. Leveraging reports, such as those found in dashboards like the Fleet Complete Hub, can help identify opportunities to improve driver safety by highlighting behaviours like speeding, harsh braking and other aggressive driving practices. Using these reports to make data-driven decisions is a positive step forward in realizing ROI. This allows fleet managers to monitor and address unsafe driving practices, laying the groundwork for more advanced technologies in the future.

Leveraging AI-powered dash cameras for enhanced safety

AI-powered fleet dash camera solutions, when integrated with a reliable

fleet platform

, can further enhance safety and reduce collision-related costs. Dual-facing cameras, both road-facing and cab-facing, support both advanced driver assistance and collision avoidance systems.

The continuous monitoring and analysis provided by these cameras can help protect drivers from potential risks on the road. They empower drivers with self-coaching tools, boosting their on-road safety and performance. Road-facing cameras alert drivers to important road signs and special areas, such as school zones, ensuring they remain aware of their surroundings.

Additionally, custom criteria can be established based on industry standards and specific company requirements to send alerts for unsafe behaviors, including speeding, harsh braking, acceleration, hard cornering, lane drifting and tailgating. These alerts are sent to both fleet managers and drivers, enabling them to take immediate corrective action and fostering ongoing improvement in driving habits. This proactive approach not only enhances safety; it promotes a culture of continuous improvement within your fleet. Automated alerts direct to the fleet manager also increases productivity by minimizing the need to sift through copious amounts of data or footage to spot areas that need attention.

Using AI technology, dual-facing cameras can significantly reduce accidents caused by distracted driving and fatigue. These cameras send alerts when they detect drivers:

Constantly blinking, yawning or nodding
Looking away from the road
Using their phone – if the driver holds a phone up to their ear for just a few seconds, they receive an audio alert to correct the behaviour, and the event is displayed on the fleet management platform for further action

Choosing an all-in-one solution that also offers data and video storage is important. In the case of an incident, or to review footage for training and evaluation, having access to stored data is invaluable. This is a key differentiating factor when considering a dash cam from a commercial vendor versus purchasing one online. Commercial solutions typically offer robust storage options and better integration with fleet management platforms, ensuring comprehensive coverage and reliability. By leveraging these advanced features and storage capabilities, fleet managers can better manage risks, protect drivers and ensure a safer and more efficient operation.

Mobile safety apps

While it's essential for fleet managers and business owners to have access to real-time data, it's equally important to provide drivers with applications that keep them connected and informed safely throughout their journey.

Driver applications allow both managers and drivers to stay connected and informed via their mobile devices. These apps offer a range of features that can enhance safety and communication on the road. For instance, they provide real-time alerts for unsafe driving behaviours, navigation assistance and updates on road conditions. By receiving instant feedback and guidance, drivers can make safer driving decisions and stay compliant with company policies.

“The ease of custom reporting has brought new insights to TELUS management on unsafe driving incidents. We’re able to customize real triggers to thresholds that fit our organizations’ needs. So far we’ve seen some great improvements, a decrease of 15 per cent in seat belt incidents and reduction of speeding incidents by 40 per cent, both on a per km basis, within just three weeks.”

Justin Quan
Business Consultant, Fleet Processes & Systems Transformation
TELUS

Mobile safety apps facilitate seamless communication between drivers and fleet managers. In case of emergencies or unexpected situations, drivers can quickly relay information to their managers and receive timely support. This constant connectivity helps ensure that drivers are never isolated and can always rely on their support network.

These apps also empower drivers with access to their performance data, allowing them to self-coach and improve their driving habits. Features like trip summaries, safety scores and personalized tips can help drivers understand their strengths and areas for improvement, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.

To further enhance connectivity and data access, fleet managers can equip vehicles with mobile hotspots. Hotspots provide a reliable internet connection for drivers, enabling them to use mobile safety apps and other digital tools without interruption. This continuous access to the internet provides drivers with real-time updates and alerts, enhancing their ability to respond to changing road conditions and potential hazards promptly.

Vehicle diagnostics and maintenance solutions

With complete fleet connectivity, you can optimize your engine diagnostics by capturing vehicle health and driving event data and setting up mobile inspection tools so drivers can complete pre and post trip inspection reports, flag visible defects for mechanics and schedule maintenance, such as brake service and tire replacement. Look for a plug-and-play solution that can make it easier for you and your drivers to manage ‌device installation, replacement and troubleshoot with more confidence. Your provider should also offer support in case you run into a more complicated issue.

Incentivizing safety

Promoting safe driving behaviour doesn’t have to be heavy or punitive. Data can be used to reward and to reinforce safe habits. Using a driver safety scorecard, you can recognize and reward your safest drivers and motivate others to improve. Fleet Managers that adopt gamification – the addition of games or game-like elements to encourage participation or provide rewards – may see increased adoption and adherence to best practices, as it enriches employee engagement, performance feedback and boosts overall productivity.

All-in-one fleet management platform

Fleet managers and business owners typically have multiple responsibilities to juggle in their day-to-day operations. That’s why taking advantage of one single platform, combining both vehicle and driver data, can be beneficial to extract insights in a more efficient manner. You can capture real-time vehicle data, generate customized reports, monitor and measure your team’s KPIs and use data-driven insights to provide individual driver coaching.

Whether you're a small business looking to add vehicle diagnostics, live video streaming and in-vehicle Wi-Fi to stay connected while on-the-go – or you're a large commercial fleet in need of real-time monitoring, advanced reporting and ELD capabilities – TELUS Business has a solution that's ideal for your needs.

Connect with a TELUS specialist

to learn more about how

TELUS Business Fleet Management solutions

and

Fleet Complete

can help you enhance driver safety and optimize fleet performance.

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