Serving up Safety and Slowing down Speeding

In New Zealand, nothing poses a bigger risk to road safety than speeding. In fact, excessive speed is one of the leading causes of road collisions in our country. In 2021 there were 109 fatal crashes, 398 serious injuries and over 1,300 minor injuries on our roads.[1] Our road safety performance is average at best when compared to other countries with similar geography and population.

How can we improve our stats? Speed makes a major difference in a crash, as it affects a driver’s ability to react and stop in time.

Did you know that when you drive at 50km/h you need at least 27 metres to slow to a stop, whereas driving at 60km/h you need at least 36 metres![2]

That’s a jump of nine metres with what might feel an increase you wouldn’t notice until it’s too late.

In an effort to address speeding and improve road safety Waka Kotahi has been lowering speed limits across the country, but the responsibility to stick to the limit and maintain safe driving habits remains with the driver. At Teletrac Navman, our focus is to develop solutions that switches poor habits into safe driving behaviours for your drivers, creating a workplace focused on safety. When it comes to speeding, one of the most efficient tools we have is our smart dashcam.

Simplifying safety and giddy-up gamers

Smart dashcams do more than capture high-quality video footage of the road and driver, they help keep drivers engaged and alert while driving. By combining AI smart video with telematics data, scorecards, and advanced onboard sensors, they can provide fleet managers with valuable insights into driver behaviour.

Smart dashcam technology includes HD camera with a wide-angle lens that can capture a wide degree and night time lens that can help ensure clear footage even in low-light situations. Having reliable rolling footage of events means you can refer back to any issues that require correction or training and reward drivers for positive decisions and habits. Actions like following too closely, distracted driving, harsh braking, sudden acceleration, swerving and speeding can all be caught by dashcam’s inbuilt sensors alerting the fleet manager to dangerous manoeuvrers.

The technology is like a personalised coach for your drivers that sits in the vehicle to help them keep an eye on the environment around them, and notifies them proactively to avoid unsafe behaviours and potential collisions. By adding a new level of accountability, fleet managers can encourage drivers to make careful decisions around speed and safety.

In a report published in 2017, Waka Kotahi found if drivers drop their speed on certain routes from 100km/h to 80km/h, they would only increase their travel time by around 10 percent but reduce their fuel use by about 15 percent. Not only can this possibly prevent speed related collisions, but it can also drastically reduce fuel costs. Using dashcams to support speed compliance, you could also mean considerable savings for your fleet and even increased efficiency. Dashcams act like a well-intentioned but vigilant friend, watching your back to make sure you stick to the speed limit and stay safe.

Teletrac Navman smart dashcam also integrates scorecards to simplify adding gamification to drivers’ routine. Adding scorecards makes coaching and keeping drivers accountable easy. Gamification via scorecards can improve driver performance and compliance. By adding elements of gaming: scoring, competition and potential rewards to normal job processes, drivers can become more motivated and engaged behind the wheel. Motivated staff translates into invested, focused and high performing staff.

Scorecards and video recording enables drivers and staff to remain motivated through access to their past and current driving performance. The Driver Scorecard app incorporates gamification into drivers’ routine, they can view their scores in areas like following the speed limit, harsh braking, following distance and compare performance to other drivers. In this way gamification can make safe driving, and the choices that lead to it, rewarding for drivers. Fleet managers can also use driver scores to pinpoint areas for improvement and where rewards are due. By ensuring workers gain immediate feedback and incentives for performance they are more likely to adopt and maintain safe driving practices. This system of ‘record and reward’ encourages healthy competition between drivers and ensures they are engaged and accountable which helps make our roads a safer place.

Teletrac Navman Smart Dashcams are a powerful tool for fleet managers aiming to improve safety, compliance and even optimise operations. The simple addition of Teletrac Navman Smart Dashcams to your fleet could revolutionise your ability to proactively improve safety and put you in the passenger seat in all your vehicles. Combining advanced camera technology, AI-powered analytics and gamifications into a single device provides a method for fleet managers to direct on-road behaviour while leaving opportunity for continual development.

 

[1]Te Marutau, Ministry of Transport NZ).

[2]Ōtorohanga District Council