This content has been provided on behalf of Expert Market
Vehicle tracking as support for drivers
Improving and maintaining driver safety is a must for any business heavily dependent on a mobile workforce.
How do you leverage the full potential of your drivers and vehicles to keep things moving safely? You need to know exactly what’s happening while they’re on the road – as it happens.
Vehicle tracking gives you access to the accurate information required any time and all the time, providing you with the right tools to keep your drivers safe and on the move. Amy Harris, Community Manager for the business website Expert Market, offers you five ways vehicle tracking can improve driver safety:
1. Reduce driver distractions and stress levels
Driving to and navigating through unfamiliar locations can be a stressful experience, especially when you’re trying to keep to a schedule. Situations like trying to stay on track and re-routing can distract the driver’s attention from what’s happening on the road ahead and increase the probability of accidents.
Vehicle tracking systems provide navigation devices with advanced features, including:
- lane guidance for assistance with navigating tricky junctions
- text to speech software for clear spoken instructions and messages
- voice recognition software for inputting addresses
The result is fewer distractions and lower levels of stress for the driver, while remaining on the move and overcoming obstacles quicker.
2. Encourage safer driving
A safe driving style needs to be encouraged at all times and this becomes much easier to implement with a vehicle tracking system. Actions such as breaking speed limits, abrupt braking and unnecessarily harsh steering will cause an alert for the driver to modify his behaviour.
The control terminal back at the office will also receive notification of the event and the level of severity. A decision can be made in a moment whether or not further intervention is required. Over time it is possible to assess if a driver’s performance needs addressing and consistently good driving practice can be monitored and rewarded.
3. Manage time spent behind the wheel
Responsible businesses need to ensure their drivers are not exceeding the legal limits for time spent behind the wheel. Vehicle tracking makes this possible by giving instant access to all the hours worked by any of your drivers. It’s especially important that every minute can be accounted for if your business uses lorries.
Vehicle tracking systems allow the vehicle’s tachograph data to be transmitted back to the control office in real time. This makes it possible to know which drivers are approaching the limit and which have time to spare, while eliminating any errors that could put the safety of your drivers at risk.
