The growth of vans on UK roads, fuelled by the surge in home deliveries, has highlighted the need for flexible road safety systems.
Telematics provider Greenroad says many of these are driven by people who have received no professional driving training before getting behind the wheel, and as such may have poor driving practices that are being left unchecked.
Damage-only accidents in the UK resulted in more than £4.3 billion worth of damage to vehicles and property in 2012. For a delivery company or small tradesman even a minor accident can result in disruption to business and customer dissatisfaction and a fatal accident could prove ruinous.
Chris Horbowyj, director of UK Sales for GreenRoad said: “By putting people who lack professional driving training behind the wheel many companies are exposing themselves to the risk of dangerous, costly and reputation-ruining collisions.
“Many van drivers are not professionally trained and, indeed, some may not even realise the extent to which they can improve their driving to adopt a safe, smooth, fuel-efficient approach.
“With their busy schedules, there is always the temptation for drivers to cut corners and rush their journeys. Fleet safety is all too often an afterthought, but it shouldn’t be and it doesn’t need to be thanks to modern mobile technology.”
Horbowyj added: “Mobile technology is set to overtake traditional wired-in telematics as the technology advances and its advantages become apparent.
“It is highly accessible and easy to use – almost every van driver will have a smartphone or mobile device so the GreenRoad app should be simple to install.”
aidanr - 22/07/2016 19:18
The challenge that all fleets face daily on our roads is certainly not one to be underestimated. Operators of fleets have a duty to help their drivers improve their driving behaviour by identifying bad habits and coaching. The answer is certainly not by introducing another mobile application. We in SmartDrive know from many years of experience with fleets in the UK that distracted driving caused by smartphones is one of the major challenges facing fleet operators. Telematics is any form does not help. You can’t manage and coach what you can’t see. Video based driver risk management solutions (not CCTV or crash recorders) are the only way to effectively identify and manage bad driving habits. Your customers, drivers and the general public will thank you for it!