Be Safe: The Drive Towards a Crash-Free Future

IPSWICH, England, May 10, 2011 --

- Driver Safety Technology a Key Factor in Helping Prevent Road Traffic Accidents

Driver safety technology is a key factor in preventing accidents and creating a crash-free future for drivers, says Andy Yeoman, managing director of Trimble Mobile Resource Management (MRM) in Europe, a leading provider of telematics technology.

Studies have shown the majority of road traffic accidents are a result of driver behaviour or distractions. A recent study from UK road safety charity Brake suggests that the majority of motorists believe they are safer than, or as safe as, the average driver and are quick to place blame on third parties.

Many vehicle manufacturers are developing enhanced safety systems with crash-avoidance technology. While manufacturers work on developing safer vehicles, careless drivers and their supervisors still need to be made aware of dangerous habits behind the wheel and take positive steps toward safer driving.

Brake Campaigns director Julie Townsend said: "It is all too easy for a driver's attention to be diverted by something like a ringing mobile phone, a roadside accident or another vehicle following too close. It is often these sorts of distractions and the taking of unnecessary risks that is the cause of many serious road accidents.

"Measures which will help drivers be more aware of their driving behaviour will hopefully encourage them to take fewer risks behind the wheel and address their bad habits."

With health and safety legislation now placing more responsibility for road safety on employers, Yeoman believes that driver safety technology could help the fleet industry achieve its ultimate goal of reducing accidents.

In support of efforts to create a crash-free future-as well as to help businesses save on accident costs now-Trimble developed DriverSafety, a solution that measures aggressive driving behaviours like harsh turns, hard braking and rapid acceleration, then gives real-time feedback to drivers and managers. Its DriverSafety dashboard gives fleet managers, supervisors and risk managers an overview of individual driver behaviours. This allows managers to address issues directly with the drivers concerned and give further training if it is needed. An in-vehicle warning system also alerts drivers to when they need to change their driving behaviour to be safer on the road.

Yeoman said: "Trimble in-vehicle technology can now immediately alert drivers and their managers when aggressive driving behaviours occur, meaning drivers now have the ability to immediately mitigate their unsafe driving behaviour."

Yeoman concludes: "Every crash can cost a business thousands of pounds and obviously even more so if casualties are involved.

"When you take into account the additional paperwork, the loss of productivity from the vehicle being out of service and damage to the corporate image, the cost rises even further. Telematics technology has already proven to be a tool for saving businesses money and ultimately could be invaluable in moving toward the ideal of a crash-free future."