5 ways telematics can improve your fleet’s safety

Telematics can provide your company with live information pertaining to the operation of your vehicles, give insight into driving behaviour and compliance as well as assist in shifting towards a predictive maintenance system.

Here are five ways telematics can improve your fleet’s safety:

1. Monitor, identify and correct driving behaviours

Unsafe driving increases costs significantly due to employee injuries, lost productivity, asset damage, potential litigation and fines. Telematics provides you with access to safety analytics and actionable data which you can use to monitor, identify and correct risky driving behaviour (such as harsh acceleration, harsh braking, sharp turns and speeding). This allows fleet managers to pinpoint areas of concern and offer relevant training to drivers who need it. By doing this, you can reduce costs (such as those related to fuel expenditure) and increase the longevity of your fleet (by minimising damage and/or maintenance to vehicles) whilst also improving the ROI on your assets.

2. Implement targeted driver training

Telematics provides businesses with a thorough breakdown of how drivers behave on the road and highlights areas which could cause crashes and potentially lead to serious injuries or even death. Actionable data equips businesses with the ability to identify trends amongst drivers. The analytical tools that telematics provide, allows for targeted driver coaching or training sessions to be implemented for those drivers that are deemed “at risk”.

Drivers can also be alerted to their mistakes in real time with an in-vehicle buzzer or a display device (such as the RIBAS system provides), allowing for drivers to take immediate corrective action. Additionally, the introduction of some friendly incentivised competition (with the help of driver scoring) not only serves to provide a softer approach to guiding drivers and offers motivation but also ensures that drivers are able to get home safely to be with their families

3. Keep vehicles serviced and roadworthy

When a vehicle is well looked after and regularly maintained, it can perform at its best. Telematics, when implemented correctly, enables you to keep tabs on your vehicles and, determine maintenance and service requirements early.

A fully-integrated telematics solution also allows you to set up bespoke thresholds and alerts for pre-trip inspections and maintenance based on the odometer reading of vehicles. This allows you to stay ahead of and mitigate any costly repairs or unnecessary downtime that may stem from assets that are not maintained appropriately.

4. Reduce the effects of costly and potentially deadly incidents

Telematics can also assist drivers in making more informed decisions with regards to unexpected circumstances. Oftentimes, drivers may find themselves in an unfamiliar climate, terrain or territory, placing them at considerable risk. In these instances, a telematics solution can help identify and navigate road obstructions, and reroute vehicles (via GPS technology) to keep drivers out of harm’s way.

5. Ensure driver safety compliance and adherence

When fatigued drivers are combined with long and winding roads, it can spell disaster. Telematics equips fleets with the right tools to keep up-to-date on all aspects of Chain of Responsibility, mitigate potentially dangerous incidents and, ensure compliance with health and safety standards.

You can use telematics to set up customised alerts and, send messages to drivers to comply with certain regulations (such as taking regular breaks to avoid fatigue). These types of features give businesses peace of mind when it comes to keeping drivers compliant and ultimately helps avoid crashes due to fatigue and costly fines associated with non-compliance.