Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/802476
Driver Safety A Focus at the Convention and Trade Show (Continued from Page 1) Trevor presented the following data, which many attendees found surprising. • Around 95% of collisions are preventable. While many crashes can also be attributed to environmental and vehicle - related factors including weather, road design, visibility issues, and mechanical failures, more than 9 times out of 10, the driver could have taken action to prevent the accident that ultimately occurred. Distraction, speed, and general awareness issues are the most common driver - related performance issues. • For every one major collision that occurs, there are approximately 300 no - damage risky incidents stemming from driver behavior. Several types of technology exist to help companies improve driver performance and manage risk. Amo ng these are: • Technologies that record mechanical activity. Similar to the "black box" on an airplane, these technologies record unusual events such as hard braking or steering anomalies, speed changes, and other conditions. These provide drivers and their companies with information about abnormal events and can be helpful in some crash investigations for the information they provide. • Road - facing cameras. Similar to the dash cams used by police departments, these devices record what was happening on the roa d ahead and anything that may happen when the truck stops while the camera is still running. This technology provides a record of what the driver was seeing immediately prior to the event. Coupled with the above technology, these tools can provide context in a crash situation and also be helpful for coaching employees. • Full video and audio recording devices. These technologies are continuing to evolve, but the main benefit this technology provides above and beyond the other two is that it shows what the dri ver was doing immediately before and during the unusual event. Paired with outward facing cameras, this information can be powerful for coaching a driver and/or exonerating him in the event of a crash. Trevor explained that drivers may initially feel conc erned about having a camera operating in the cab at all times. However, once drivers are educated about how the technology works – for example, how their privacy is maintained, what is actually recorded and saved versus what is never seen – they are usuall y not troubled by having the cameras present because of the value they can provide if an incident occurs. Trevor also explained how professional monitoring of the recorded video is used for changing driver behavior. This includes three major steps: • Exposi ng risk by capturing data and evidence of poor or risky driving behavior. • Using data to identify the riskiest drivers and to develop a coaching plan. • Coaching and training the riskiest drivers while rewarding the safest drivers. In order to do this, moder n video telematics packages include more than just cameras. They also include other types of hardware, analytics, data collection and management, and services like monitoring and advising employers. W EEKLY EDITION MAR 22, 2017 P AGE 10 CONTINUED ON PAGE 11