
Recently, findings from the third Safety Survey conducted by USA publications, Heavy Duty Truck and Work Truck, illustrated how driver training is central to road safety within fleets. The same survey also revealed that fleet managers identified vehicle technology as playing a significant role in reducing crashes.
The National Safety Council says advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have potential to reduce road deaths by 62% in the USA. The CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says: “The Safety Survey identified ADSA technology most favoured by fleet managers in reducing their collision rates.
“This tech acts like an extra set of eyes monitoring road conditions for hazards and providing timely alerts and sometimes even assistance in evasive action. Additionally, it is not affected by distractions, fatigue or human error,” says Herbert.
The survey identified the most popular ADSA technology and their percentage of uptake:
- Speed limiters (51%)
- Air disc brakes (48%)
- Forward-facing in-cab cameras (39%)
- Lane departure warning (38%)
- Forward collision warning (35%)
- Adaptive cruise control (32%)
- Backup cameras (32%)
- Electronic stability control (31%)
- Collision mitigation with automatic emergency braking (30%)
- Side blind spot monitoring (26%)
These features work either in combination or alone to prevent collisions:
- Forward collisions
Speed limiters, forward collisions sensors, adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking all assist to reduce these crashes. “The NHTSA estimates these technologies have the potential to decrease collisions by 47.7% and road fatalities by 6.1%. It is one of the most effective technologies in preventing collisions.”
- Lane change or blind spot collisions
From the above list, blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning are most effective to prevent these collisions. “When combined with other technology such as lane-keep assist or centring, it has the potential to reduce collisions by 60% along with forward collision tech,” says Herbert.
- Pedestrian collisions
While not mentioned in the top ten list, many vehicles have technology to prevent pedestrian collisions. “It can be as simple as a warning that a collision is imminent or be combined with other tech like automatic braking to enable additional evasive action should drivers not respond quickly enough,” says Herbert.
- Reversing collisions
Back- up cameras, sensors and automatic braking help avoid one of the most common collisions. “Certain vehicles, most often personal passenger vehicles, also provide assistance when reversing into parking spots. In a fleet, back-up cameras and sensors are useful in manoeuvring in confined spaces and reduce the expense that minor reversing collisions have on the bottom line.”
It is inevitable that the technology described will eventually find its way into a broader scope of vehicles “While they can assist with safety, all drivers should be aware that any system – no matter how good – is still governed by the laws of physics!
“It should also be noted that overdependence on ADSA can compromise a driver’s safety and other road users. A reverse camera, while superb, does not negate the need to check that it is safe to reverse – a child could have inadvertently moved into an unsafe position, not readily visible to a camera.”
While the ever-increasing amount of vehicle safety technology is not the only, or most important safety mechanism, when upgrading your fleet ensure you consider ADSA. Decide what will have the most impact ensuring your drivers return home at night and limit the financial strain on your bottom line,” says Herbert.