Despite fewer miles being driven these days, fatalities appear to be on the rise. According to recent records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, traffic deaths are hovering near record highs even with fewer miles driven. The records show that traffic deaths spiked 18% when comparing 2022 to 2019, while miles traveled dropped by 3%.
The perception of roadways today may shed some light on this trend.
Distracted, impaired, and aggressive driving remain high-ranking concerns for both commercial and non-commercial drivers. According to a 2021 survey by AAA, 92% of drivers felt that texting, emailing, or reading on a hand-held device was very or extremely dangerous. Ironically, despite these perceptions, 26% of drivers reported having sent a text or email while driving within 30 days of taking the survey. Similarly, around 30% of respondents reported that they’d engaged in driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway within the previous month despite the known dangers that aggressive driving can create. This dichotomy of perception versus action is at the core of what makes this such a challenge to overcome.
Technology can help, but it’s no replacement for vigilant driving
A number of technological advancements have been made in commercial vehicles in order to improve safety. Safety measures such as blind spot monitoring and seat belt alerts for all seats are significant steps forward. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for cars and trucks include automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-assist systems, and more. Using them can help improve road safety and reduce human error.
Solutions that work with existing installed ADAS are available to help uncover previously undetected risky driving behaviors, prevent collisions and severity of accidents, improve compliance, and more.
But drivers should be careful not to mistake these innovations as replacements for alert and vigilant driving. Relying on these monitors alone is not enough.
Similarly, just because there are hands-free options for cell phone use in a vehicle does not mean a driver will stay cognitively alert. Hands-free can often mean mind-free, as your mind is diverted from the task at hand when you’re talking on the speakerphone or using voice-to-text options. Likewise, newer vehicles are now equipped with full touchscreens with very few touch knobs, yet another way to divert attention while a driver locates the correct area on a screen to touch. Ultimately, these things can lead to distracted driving and the need for more defensive driving.
But as the increased fatality rate of 2022 shows us, there’s much more that needs to be done to keep all drivers safe.
Solutions to keep drivers prepared
The solution should start with awareness campaigns, as they are essential to combating distracted, aggressive, and impaired driving. For commercial drivers, video technology solutions are also a vital piece of the puzzle, offering insight into driver behaviors. They also allow recognizing and celebrating good driving behaviors and habits.
Technology paired with a safety program brings all the pieces together. Behavior-based safety programs of today rely on technology and telematics to help fleet managers have the proper conversation with the right person at the right time. It can help deliver the desired outcomes by putting the managers in a position to quickly tee up a focused and productive conversation with the riskiest drivers, as well as the drivers who are demonstrating great defensive driving and other positive behaviors. Technology is the conduit to making this connection from manager to driver.
Drivers can also heed these best practices to do their part in keeping the roadways safe:
- Stow mobile devices.
- Put devices on Do Not Disturb mode.
- Avoid using drive-time to catch up on phone calls and send texts.
- Tell your employer that when you’re on the road, that means the phone is off limits.
- Store any loose items before setting out.
- Plan to eat before or after your trip or take a break to do so.
- Plan your route before departure to avoid distractions from typing in destinations to your navigation system.
- When you’re a passenger, ask your driver to try and heed these same practices.
Driving aggressively, impaired, or distracted is deadly on its own, but when combined, the likelihood of severe accidents is greatly increased. By arming your fleet with awareness of these issues and solutions to adopt fleet-wide, your team can stay prepared for what’s ahead and help contribute to a safer culture on the roadway.
Jeff Martin is VP of global sales strategy at Lytx. He has decades of operational experience in architecting, directing, and continuously improving operations and safety programs.
