Does Vehicle Tracking Enhance Driver Performance?

Posted on 14 February, 2013

Innovative driver behaviour indicators and other vehicle tracking solutions are believed to improve driver performance by encouraging better behaviour behind the wheel. Recent reports on vehicle tracking in the U.K. show that numerous van and commercial vehicle operators managed to achieve significant reductions in fuel usage, overtime claims and communications overheads due to vehicle tracking solutions.

Even though some employees are concerned about invading their privacy by the introduction of vehicle tracking solutions in their organisations, these devices bring a lot of benefits and improved driving performance is one of them.

How it works

In-vehicle devices such as driver behaviour indicators are designed to alert the driver about any potential hazards on the road by displaying a range of traffic-light coloured warning lights. Green, amber, and red lights correspond to the overall number of warnings the driver receives, while responsible driving for long periods allows clearing the lights.

To track the driver’s behaviour behind the wheel, the indicator is connected to an advanced vehicle tracking system which monitors driving events and identifies any excessive behaviour on the road. In the final performance reports, employees are placed in Green, Yellow, or Red Band according to their driving performance.

What driving events you can track

By introducing vehicle tracking solutions in your organisation, you can monitor a range of on-the-road events including speeding violations, harsh braking, harsh cornering, harsh bumping, excessive idling, harsh acceleration and so on.

What you get

A lot of fleet operators are stressed by high fuel costs and pressures to reduce operational overheads. More than half of the fleet operators who are going to adopt vehicle tracking technologies believe that they provide return on investment and help solve these challenges.

The valuable information received in reports can be used to improve the company image by encouraging safer and greener vehicle operation. This may result in reduced carbon emissions, reduced accident rates, improved duty of care, reduced vehicle maintenance, lower insurance premiums, etc.

According to Rob Lawrence, chief operating officer of Richmond Ambulance Authority, “the key benefit of the system is that it’s a ‘proven’ solution that helps avoid injuries and even deaths by reducing aggressive driving actions, while increasing driver awareness through a proactive approach toward behaviour modification”.