Why video telematics the next step in tackling driver distraction
This week, from 7–13 May, Kiwi communities and businesses are getting involved with Road Safety Week to shine a spotlight on the issue. Started in New Zealand in 2012, Road Safety Week is coordinated by Brake Charity and involves hundreds of Kiwi organisations, schools and communities annually. The event raises awareness and promotes steps all drivers can take to stop deaths and injuries on our roads.
As of April 2018, the road toll in New Zealand reached 134 deaths, an increase of 11 deaths from the same time period last year1. Even though truck drivers have primary responsibility for only one fifth (20 per cent) of the fatal crashes involving another road user1, the transport industry is at the forefront of initiating and championing driver safety for all road users.
Our 2018 New Zealand Telematics Benchmark Report revealed that the top two emerging technologies that organisations are considering for implementation in 2018 are driver warning and alerting technology (26 per cent) and fatigue monitoring (18 per cent). Driver risk management is key for the industry to improve their safety from the inside, but what can the industry do within the wider community?
Tips From Safe Drivers
This Road Safety Week, Teletrac Navman is championing the cause by asking commercial drivers to feed back driving tips for other road users on how to behave safely around heavy vehicles, as well as for other truckers. #TipsFromSafeDrivers asks drivers: “What do you wish the average driver knew about safety on the road?”
Throughout May, their insights and advice will be showcased on the Teletrac Navman contest website – bringing the ideas together to share with others. At the end of the month, the driver with the best tip will receive a $100 Visa prepaid gift card.
Here’s how the Truckers for Safety contest works:
- From May 7 – May 31, 2018, drivers can submit their safety tips along with a photo of themselves via the entry form on this website. We will not share your email address or phone number or post it publicly, but we will share your safety tips and photo on the Truckers4Safety website.
- Once the competition is concluded, the winning entry will be chosen - you will win a $100 Visa prepaid gift card! Their safety tips and photos will also be featured on the winner’s page of Teletrac Navman’s #TipsFromSafeDrivers website.
If you’re a driver, we want to hear from you! Share your safety words of wisdom today and visit #TipsFromSafeDrivers for more details and contest rules. But remember: no posting while driving — your safety is important to us.
If you work with drivers in any capacity, we invite you to help us honor truckers and their safety by letting them know about this contest and encouraging them to share their safety tips.
A Global Issue
Truck drivers see all kinds of on-road behaviour from the high up vantage point of their cabs – the good, the bad and the ugly – and have a lot to teach us about how to keep our roads safe as possible. Whether it’s sitting in blind spots or rapidly changing speeds on the motorway, many smaller vehicle drivers don’t realise their habits adversely affect truck drivers — who can’t easily brake or swerve out of harm’s way.
That’s why we’ve invited transport professionals across the US, Australia and New Zealand to get involved with this driver safety campaign. Using the social media hashtag #TipsFromSafeDrivers, you can share the message of driver safety with the world. We encourage you to share your tip – and see what others have to say!
If you are looking for more ways to get involved in Road Safety Week activities, take a look at www.roadsafetyweek.org.nz. You can raise awareness of your own road safety initiative using Brake Charity’s hashtag #SlowDown.
1 New Zealand Transport Agency. (2018). Road death statistics
2 Ministry of Transport. (2017) Truck Crash Facts 2017