As fleet managers it’s a no-brainer to say that improving safety is a huge part of what we do. Fleet technology continues to develop, in turn providing you with further tools to help drive dramatic safety improvements within your workplace.
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have gone a long way to improve safety within the vehicles themselves – check out AfMA’s Safety Videos for more information – but making sense of the data you are recording can also make a massive impact.
Below are some tips to help drive improvement using telematics and fleet management systems.
Improve vehicle maintenance
- Many telematics devices automate odometer readings and support automated alerts for drivers and fleet managers when service or maintenance is due.
- Tyre pressure data will also alert drivers to when pressure is low.
- Other warnings such as brake lining wear, brake fluid, coolant level, tire pressure, and window washer fluid warnings, can be used to alert drivers of an incoming problem.
Monitor driver data
- You can manage vehicle operation to cut down (or cut out) risky driving, such as speeding, using a mobile phone while driving, driving under influence.
- Speed limiters, breathalysers and other operating restrictions can be applied to vehicles where appropriate. These include ‘no start without seatbelt’, disabling mobile phone use while driving, clearing a breathalyser test before the vehicle will start and so on.
- Fleet managers can be alerted to dangerous driving behaviour and monitor working hours so fatigue-based driving issues can be dealt with in real-time.
Use data to incentivise driver behaviour
- It’s important to promote a culture of safety and motivate drivers by offering incentives to good driving behaviours and active participation in training programs.
- Studies have shown that driver coaching is most effective when combined with vehicle data and dashcam video footage evidence.
- Driver incentivisation – a driver scorecard is a type of performance evaluation based on specific driving metrics such as speeding, idling, swerving, harsh braking, measured via tracking or telematics systems.
Data is most valuable when applied in practice to solve problems or bolster initiatives like fleet safety. Having a fleet safety policy is one thing, putting it into practice is another and data is the driver for that.
For a full list of the available telematics and fleet management systems available to your drivers, you can check out our full list of suppliers in the AfMA Directory.
