The breadth of the investigation makes it worth it. Webfleet Solutions interviewed 1,050 fleet managers in Europe to establish an overview of fleet claims and the corrective actions implemented. According to this study, 42% of fleets are involved in one to five road collisions per year. While there are uncontrollable factors, 90% of accidents are due to human error. Driving behavior remains essential to reduce claims. But half of the managers don’t know if their drivers are adopting the right behavior and respecting the rules on the road.
Even more telling, 84% of managers believe bad behavior has a negative impact on their business. 74% are concerned about the impact of dangerous driving on the company’s reputation. Among the behaviors most often singled out are using the phone while driving (77%), driver fatigue (75%) and speeding (74%).
Webfleet Solutions offers many tools to combat road risk. Its platform gives drivers information for safer driving: traffic flow, weather conditions, etc. For his part, the fleet manager has access to extensive data on the journeys of each driver, with an overview of incidents such as speeding, sudden changes of direction or untimely braking.
The behavior in question
Combined with its platform, Webfleet Solutions’ on-board tablet supports drivers and provides them with driving advice. It takes into account the type of vehicle to indicate the most suitable and safest routes. And it incorporates the Optidrive 360 eco-driving module which offers drivers to improve their performance through visual and audio information.
Webfleet Solutions has also partnered with Lytx to launch new features around on-board cameras. For the fleet manager, the driving data is displayed next to the images of the context at the time when incidents along the route occurred. Drivers access these images in real time to react instantly in the event of a problem.
On-board cameras
Optimum Automotive also markets a solution based on on-board cameras. The images make it possible to analyze the behavior of the driver and to issue alerts in the event of potential danger, when he has not buckled his seat belt, uses his telephone, smokes or eats while driving. The device also detects abnormal fatigue. Like the driver, the manager is kept informed of these events analyzed within the Optimum platform. Finally, the device monitors excessive speeds, respect for safety distances, crossing white lines, etc. Analyzed by the algorithms of the solution, this information can serve as a starting point for training in road risk prevention. Optimum Automotive charges 200 to 250 euros for the installation of the camera but does not charge any additional cost to process the information.
For many years, telematics specialists have been multiplying functions related to driving safety. The prevention of road risk is a legal obligation for companies and the eco-driving modules help to analyze and change behavior. “Beyond the simple observation, telematics leads to a dynamic of improvement”, underlines Daniel Vassallucci, managing director of Optimum Automotive.
Launch formations
To make its employees more responsible, the company has an additional resource with training. And this program can be done digitally. Optimum Automotive thus offers a specific space on its platform. The sessions take place over two to three months, once or twice a week. The ultimate step, track training promises even greater gains. Like Optimum Automotive with Codes Rousseau, many telematics operators have entered into agreements with road safety specialists.
Formerly used only by large companies, telematics invests organizations of more modest size. “At first, the managers wanted to check where the vehicles were and whether the uses complied with the rules, observes Olivier David, commercial director of the telematics company Coyote France. Over the past four to five years, business leaders have increasingly become aware that road risk requires establishing control. »
The analysis of traditional telematics data offers the opportunity to build actions that are part of the company’s routine, with analyzes carried out regularly and accompanied by corrective actions. For example, the company must understand why the vehicle is used before 5 or 6 a.m. and after 9 p.m., and modify the work organization accordingly.
A telematics solution is billed from 10 to 15 euros per month depending on the features. The gains on claims vary according to the customer’s initial situation and the way in which he appropriates the prevention tools.
Costs and gains
Coyote Business telematics solutions integrate various driving aids. 80% of the alerts issued to drivers relate to future dangerous situations and only 20% of them indicate speed cameras. Among the data reported, the indication of the authorized speed proves to be invaluable when the limits vary more and more frequently, particularly on departmental roads. “With our driving assistance assistant, the driver can fight against stress, adopt peaceful driving and limit the risk of accident”, pleads Olivier David. Smoother driving is safer and more economical. And the costs of fuel, maintenance, repairs and insurance are going down.
With an on-board camera, Optimum Automotive identifies three to five inappropriate events per day and offers the driver the possibility of correcting them. “With all the measures put in place and in the first three months, the loss ratio can drop by 30 to 40%, but the results wither away over time, advances Daniel Vassallucci. In general, the gain reaches 7 to 8% after one year. »
Another benefit, with an on-board camera and remote monitoring by telematics, the company can prove its innocence when one of its vehicles is wrongly incriminated in an accident. It thus fights against fraudulent claims declarations. “In the UK and Italy, insurers support the telematics platform and training. This is not the case in France where the margins are tighter”, underlines Daniel Vassallucci.
Towards predictive management
Be that as it may, telematics has moved away from its initial vocation of monitoring to become a tool for managing the fleet as a whole. In terms of road safety and with the rise of artificial intelligence and algorithms, the observation of deviations and corrective actions will evolve to give way to predictive management of accidents.
