This Q&A explores the question: Telematics – how to best use the data to promote safe driving culture?
What are telematics?
Telematics, an instrument that is used to monitor driver behaviour, have become increasingly relevant to driver safety.
Telematics can provide users with real-time data on their driving and highlight patterns. For companies, this insight can help increase efficiency and productivity by identifying areas for improvement and maximising the cost-effectiveness of fleet operations, reducing maintenance and other costs. They can also minimise fuel consumption by improving route planning.
For telematics to be as effective as possible, they must be incorporated into an organisation’s operational and safety systems. By measuring, monitoring, and ultimately mitigating risky driving behaviour, telematics can serve as a leading indicator within a safety management system.
How does telematics track behaviour?
According to the companies interviewed for this Q&A, the main critical and behavioural events highlighted by telematics, such as in-vehicle monitoring systems, were excessive braking and acceleration, seatbelt use, fatigue compliance, speeding and vehicle location. Some had additional features, such as monitoring whether vehicles entered no-go zones.
Telematics can be an important tool to distinguish events as isolated, which are linked to driving conditions, or recurring events, which can be linked to driving behaviour. A pattern of driving behaviour can highlight opportunities for preventative interventions to stop them being repeated.
Other benefits of telematics include helping drivers and companies show proof of fault in police investigations of an incident, and highlighting geographic or weather conditions during the time of the event. Telematics can also reinforce positive behaviours, helping score driver performance and highlighting consistent performance.
Download the full Q&A below.
