Leveraging Technology to Boost Fleet Safety

New technologies now give business owners powerful tools to boost safety. They can thus use these tools to prevent accidents.

In this post, we’ll look at different tech options you can use, why fleet safety matters, and key steps to take after an accident.

Why Your Fleet’s Safety Impacts Your Whole Business

Before diving into the technology details, let’s discuss why fleet safety is so vital for companies.

When your drivers get into crashes, it affects way more people than just the driver. Accidents can hurt your business in the following ways:

• Expensive repairs: Getting vehicles fixed or replaced is costly, especially if it happens a lot. This takes money away from growing your business.
• Higher insurance rates: They can increase your insurance premiums.
• Legal complications: Injured victims can sue your business.
• Lost business: Customers may switch companies if they lose trust in you due to accidents.
• Hurt employees: You want your team to feel safe at their jobs. Accidents severely impact their lives.

As you can see, accidents affect your whole business’s bottom line, not just your vehicles. But more importantly, keeping drivers safe is critical for running an ethical operation and being a responsible employer.

Luckily, recent advances in fleet technology give owners new ways to boost protection for drivers and lower accident risks.

4 Key Technologies to Improve Fleet Safety

Many types of technologies can make fleets operate more safely nowadays, including:

1. Telematics

It can enable you to:

• See exactly where each vehicle is at all times
• Get alerts for speeding or unsafe driving
• Review reports later to catch risky behaviors
• Quickly find any vehicle so help can be sent if there’s an emergency

Managers can easily set rules in the system too, like max speed limits for drivers. Then you automatically get notified if anyone breaks the rules. This helps you address issues before accidents occur.

Detailed telematics records also provide proof of whether your driver wasn’t at fault in a crash. For example, you can confirm if they were obeying all traffic laws and driving safely. This can come in handy in helping to determine the amount of accident-related damages to be claimed, or what can amount to a fair out-of-court legal settlement.

2. Dashboard Cameras

Videos from dashcams help managers see exactly what goes on during drives.

Here are some dashboard camera benefits:

• Show what happened in accidents – The footage gives clear evidence for insurance claims and lawsuits. You can prove that your driver wasn’t at fault.
• Monitor safe driving habits – Dangerous behaviors like speeding or swerving show up on video. You can use the footage later to coach drivers.
• Train drivers about safety – Reviewing dash cam clips together teaches drivers to avoid risky situations and drive more carefully.

3. ADAS

Different ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) features that improve safety include:

• Forward collision warnings: Beeps and dashboard lights help prevent rear-end crashes.
• Lane departure alerts: Steering wheel vibrations warn drowsy drivers drifting into other lanes.
• Automatic emergency braking: Instantly brakes to reduce accident impact if the driver doesn’t respond to imminent collisions.

Research shows that ADAS lowers accident rates. Features like automatic braking are especially good at reducing rear-end collisions.

4. Fleet Management Software

Helpful features they can have include:

• Integrated dashboards that combine telematics data, vehicle sensors, and maintenance reports.
• Analysis of driving behaviors like fast acceleration or hard braking events.
• Highlighting patterns leading to accidents, like frequently speeding.
• Notifications for upcoming vehicle maintenance needs.

The software helps spot safety issues early before they become bigger problems.

Why Safer Fleets Are Better for Business

Besides protecting drivers, improving fleet safety has lots of benefits for your company’s performance too.

Here are 5 key advantages:

1. Fewer costly crashes: Preventing accidents avoids expensive repairs and replacements for damaged vehicles. It also lowers insurance rates over time.
2. Less legal liability: Detailed telematics and video records clear your drivers of blame in crashes they didn’t cause. This saves you money defending lawsuits.
3. Increased driver accountability: Drivers behave better just knowing their actions get recorded. Responsible employees keep their reputations strong.
4. Positive community reputation: Running a safe fleet earns community trust and goodwill from customers.
5. Happier drivers: Safer working conditions give drivers peace of mind and confidence behind the wheel. Happy employees stick around longer!

As you can see, boosting fleet safety impacts your whole business’s financials and culture in very positive ways!

What To Do After a Fleet Accident in Texas

No matter how cautious your business and drivers are, accidents may still occur. But Texas has special laws dictating your responsibilities after any fleet crash. And so make sure your team knows exactly what to do after a car accident in Texas.

Here are the 7 key steps required:

1. Check for injuries first. Immediately call 911 if anyone needs medical assistance.
2. Report all Texas fleet accidents causing major vehicle damage, injuries, or death. You must inform the Texas Department of Transportation.
3. Exchange insurance and contact details with the other involved drivers. Get names, license plate numbers, phone numbers, insurance providers, etc.
4. Take lots of photos and videos documenting the accident scene from all angles before vehicles get moved. Dash cams and smartphone cameras help capture more unique footage quickly.
5. Save information from any witnesses at the scene too. Their perspectives help show what happened.
6. Notify your insurance company about the accident right away. An agent can explain your coverage and the next steps.
7. If anyone got hurt, keep full documentation about medical evaluations and treatments. Injury records may be used later if legal claims or lawsuits get filed against your business.

Following these accident procedures demonstrates your company’s good faith. It also provides all the documentation needed if your driver was not at fault and you need to contest blame later.

Tech Streamlines Accident Reporting and Claims

Fleet technology also makes the post-accident process easier for managers. Helpful features include:

• GPS tracking data confirming vehicle speeds and movements leading up to the crash. This may show your driver was not speeding or driving recklessly.
• Video evidence from dashboard cameras documenting exactly how the incident occurred. You can prove facts later.
• Fleet management software organizing telematics records, maintenance logs, training status, and other documents needed for insurance claims.

Thorough digital documentation gives you a strong case if you need to appeal denied insurance claims or argue your driver’s innocence.

Exciting Improvements Coming in the Future

The future shows promise for even more ways technology can boost fleet safety down the road. This is because automakers are constantly developing new innovations to help companies prevent accidents and operate vehicles more easily.

Some examples on the horizon include:

• Artificial intelligence that analyzes individual driving patterns and makes real-time corrections to improve safety. For instance, AI could slow the vehicle if it detects distracted driving behaviors before a human manager ever notices an issue.
• Predictive vehicle maintenance using advanced sensors noticing slight performance changes, then advising bosses a part likely needs replacement soon before it fails completely. Catching issues early prevents breakdowns and collisions related to worn-out components.
• Expanded self-driving technology taking human error increasingly out of the mix. Fully autonomous vehicles could maneuver themselves far more safely than human drivers can. However, experts think it may be at least a decade before self-driving systems advance enough for widespread use in fleets.

Staying on top of the latest advances allows business owners to continuously upgrade safety practices as better tech tools emerge. And drivers benefit from each new generation of protective innovations inside fleet vehicles.

Use Technology to Prevent Fleet Accidents

Operating a safe fleet reduces risks to your staff. It also protects your company’s finances and public reputation.

Modern tools like telematics, dash cams, and fleet software provide detailed insights into driver behaviors so you can address problems proactively. This is in addition to technology also making it easier to document crash details clearly. That ensures you have evidence to contest unfair blame if any accidents do end up occurring despite your best prevention efforts.

Equipping your vehicles properly and monitoring key data gives everyone peace of mind that your fleet emphasizes safety above all else. Drivers feel more secure knowing their employer cares about protecting them. And nothing simplifies post-crash processes like comprehensive digital records either.

In the end, leveraging all the technology available today demonstrates your commitment to safety for your team, customers, and community. That lets everyone stay confident in relying on your business for transportation needs – large and small.