The ETSC (European Transport Safety Council), now in its 25th year, has recently published an interesting infographic which includes telematics as one of the top six in-vehicle safety technologies; it also includes a useful guide on how to go about implementing these technologies within your fleet.
According to the ETSC, four main points have to be considered essential if a company wants to introduce in-vehicle safety technologies:
#1 - A preparatory phase should be considered before getting in-vehicle safety technology and should include proper risk assessment whose insights will determine which technologies are the most appropriate for a company/fleet;
#2 - Vehicles should also be deeply analysed, in terms of in-vehicle safety technologies that could be installed or are present on existing vehicles and in terms of using the presence of the same technologies as a criteria for choosing vehicles (either to be rented or purchased);
#3 - Communication with the driving staff is paramount: every in-vehicle safety technology item should be thoroughly explained to the team, together with its benefits and its purpose for the company. Grey fleet should be included in the global plan;
#4 - Fleet contractors and suppliers that make use of in-vehicle safety technologies should be preferred, ideally they should be able to provide an appropriate solution for your fleet.
Infographic credit: ©ETSC at https://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/PRAISE-Info-3-In-Vehicle-Technologies.pdf
Another important aspect that the infographic underlines is that fleet safety technologies do not replace training, driver and company education and any other action promoting fleet safety such as regular fleet maintenance.
Fleet telematics is one of the six top technologies listed in the ETSC infographic, as its wide range of features allow companies to monitor speeding and driving style in general, to be compliant through a number of tools (such as vehicle inspection apps) and to get incredibly useful data to be used for driver education, risk assessment and collision investigation, to mention just a few.
Infographic credit: ©ETSC at https://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/PRAISE-Info-3-In-Vehicle-Technologies.pdf
The ETSC was formulated in Brussels for the purpose of reducing the number of fatalities and injuries associated with the transportation industry in Europe; it maintains a not-for-profit, independent status. Since its inception it has been tasked with the duty of providing impartial advice, on all matters pertaining to transport safety, to the European Parliament, the European Commission and Member States. Its goal is to endorse the best safety practices according to scientific study from across the world with a view to minimising transport accidents. The ETSC makes information available in the form of scientific reports, fact sheets and bulletins to promote the highest safety standards feasible for transport operations within the EU and the best available practices to adopt according to its transport safety research.
