Motor vehicle accidents cause a staggering number of fatalities and injuries every year. According to WHO data, around 1.3 million people lose their lives each year in road traffic accidents.
In India, the National Highways (NH) make up only 5% of the road network, yet they are responsible for 55% of road accidents and 61% of road fatalities. The heavy freight traffic carried by Commercial Vehicles (CV) and trucks on these highways increases the likelihood of road accidents.
With such alarming numbers, ensuring the safety of your fleet is more crucial than ever before. Thankfully, the market is brimming with innovative solutions to tackle these challenges head-on. Read on to explore fleet safety solutions that can significantly protect lives and transform how you manage your fleet.
Why Do You Need a Fleet Safety Solution?
First things first- a fleet safety solution helps protect lives. By implementing a comprehensive digital logistics solution focusing on fleet safety, you can proactively minimize the risk of accidents and ensure the well-being of drivers, passengers, and other road users. But besides the safety factor, digital logistics platforms incorporating safety solutions offer many other benefits:
Financial Benefits
Accidents can lead to significant financial losses, from vehicle repairs to medical expenses and legal fees. Most countries lose 3% of their gross domestic product to road traffic crashes. By reducing accidents, safety solutions can reduce substantial costs in the long run.
Improves Operational Efficiency
Fleet management systems and safety solutions also enhance fuel efficiency. With features like telematics systems and real-time analytics, you can optimize routes so that the vehicle covers the least distance possible. Besides, monitoring drivers’ behaviour and insisting on safe driving habits can save you a lot in maintenance costs.
Enhances Your Reputation
A fleet safety solution demonstrates your commitment to responsible and ethical fleet management. It improves your image as a company that cares for the safety of its employees and the community.
Top Fleet Safety Solutions Available in the Market
Ensuring the fleet’s safety should be a top priority for all fleet managers. Fleet management and safety solutions offer a comprehensive range of tools to enhance the safety of your fleet.
Here are the top fleet safety solutions available today:
Driver Safety Reporting
Drivers are the backbone of any fleet, and their safety is paramount. One way fleet managers can ensure their safety is through a driver safety reporting system. The technology enables them to monitor their driver’s behaviour by collecting data on speeding, harsh braking, cornering, and other risky driving habits.
Many safety reporting systems even assign scores to drivers based on their performance. The score enables fleet managers to identify high-risk drivers and provide them with targeted coaching. Conversely, they can use the score to incentivize and reward safe driving practices.
Driver Monitoring System
While a driver reporting system is for fleet managers, a driver coaching solution is for the driver himself. It is primarily designed to provide real-time feedback to drivers and guide them directly. The solution uses telematics and GPS technology to track driver performance and provide instant alerts when it detects unsafe behaviour. It promotes better driver behaviour and reduces the likelihood of accidents.
According to GPS Insight’s Fleet Safety Report of 2022, 57% of fleet professionals using a logistics platform with telematics/GPS tracking find it highly effective in enhancing safety within their fleet.
Dash Cams
Dash cameras have become an increasingly popular solution for any logistics operating system. These cameras record video footage of the road. In the event of an accident or incident, dashcam footage can provide valuable evidence for insurance claims and help determine fault. Besides, their ability to live-stream active vehicles or access historical data helps improve driver accountability.
Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)
While ADAS may seem similar to a driver coaching system, they serve a different purpose. While driver coaching solutions focus on actively engaging drivers in their own safety improvement, ADAS can also assist drivers in avoiding certain hazards and potential collisions.
It utilises technology such as sensors, cameras, and ML algorithms to intervene and mitigate potential collisions. Some advanced features of ADAS include lane departure warnings, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, collision avoidance systems, etc.
Mobile Phone Safety
A distracted driver is a great threat to themselves and fleet safety. That’s why there is a need for mobile phone safety solutions. These nifty tools work by turning off phone features, blocking incoming calls and messages, and even sending notifications to fleet managers if drivers try to use their phones while driving. Consider them a virtual cop that keeps drivers focused on the road and not on their screens.
Automatic Braking
Minimizing distractions is good, but having a co-pilot is especially effective in maintaining fleet safety. An autonomous emergency braking (AEB) comes close to serving that function. Also known as the automatic braking system, AEB uses sensors to detect potential collisions and automatically apply the brakes if the driver fails to respond.
Automatic braking systems are particularly useful in heavy traffic. They are known to help prevent collisions or at least reduce their severity. Studies have found them to reduce car crashes by over 40%.
Fatigue Monitoring System
Driver fatigue is common, especially when one has been behind wheels for too long. However, it can be perilous. Fortunately, fatigue monitoring systems come to the rescue. These systems detect signs of drowsiness using technology such as facial recognition, eye tracking, and steering behaviour analysis. They then warn drivers, prompting them to take necessary rest breaks before continuing their journey.
Proactive Protection
In this line of work, staying one step ahead of trouble isn’t just another helpful measure: it’s a matter of life and death. That’s what proactive protection solutions are for. These systems use predictive analytics and real-time data to spot safety risks before they become full-blown accidents.
They analyze everything from weather conditions to traffic congestion and driver behaviour patterns. As soon as they sense trouble, they send out alerts to drivers or fleet managers so they can mitigate the risk.
Is Your Fleet Safety Solution Effective?
Every fleet is unique, and the requirement for a safety solution may vary depending on their operations. Also, remember that safety software is only a tool; its effectiveness largely depends on how well the driver understands and uses it.
Hence, it’s important to take feedback from your drivers and listen to any concerns they may have regarding the fleet management software you use.
Be transparent and show them what the system can capture. Once drivers understand their benefit, they will be more motivated to implement it to its full capability.
Bosch L.OS, for example, offers various logistics management solutions through its partners, that can contribute to fleet safety. Its telematics and fleet management systems (FMS) help to manage your (multi-branded) fleet efficiently and provide you with real-time data about the health status of your vehicle, its current position, fuel consumption, driving and rest times and other comprehensive fleet management solutions.
Wrapping Up
Fleet safety software plays a vital role in safeguarding lives, proactively minimizing accidents, and ensuring the well-being of drivers and road users.
The solutions mentioned above are some of the top fleet safety technologies available today to help you scale your business efficiently and safely. Fleet managers must actively involve the drivers and take their feedback to ensure the efficacy of the safety solutions in enhancing overall fleet safety and saving lives.
