Boosting safety with smart mobile apps

by Jonathan Symons

Driver apps are becoming an important part of a commercial fleet manager’s tool kit as they look for ways of automating processes and improving engagement, while at the same time, easing the heavy workload that is often leaving them overwhelmed.

Day-to-day responsibilities can often leave little time to focus on strategic priorities and longer-term planning, so what are the latest innovations and how can they help with key areas of road safety and fleet compliance?

Steve Thomas, managing director of Ctrack UK, explains that app technology is rapidly evolving to incorporate ever greater levels of automation and engagement.

“By digitising and automating many aspects of fleet management, telematics can take on much of the hard work and leave the fleet manager to deal with the 2-3 per cent that truly requires their attention. The app is a crucial part of this process, providing the means to communicate with drivers and provide them with the tools to capture essential data.”

Driver apps are becoming important for fleet management solutions as they provide real-time communication, data collection and operational oversight. Advanced functionality can save time for both the driver and the fleet manager – as well as ensuring high levels of compliance – while league tables and targeted training can encourage responsible driving and dramatically cut driver risk.

Engagement around driver behaviour is certainly one area that has gathered pace recently with a host of tools now integrated with fleet and video telematics systems to support gamification and automated coaching. By having an app to provide drivers with supportive feedback, based on their performance, fleets can achieve significant improvements.

“The ability to share automated safety messages, performance reports and training modules is supporting a responsible and safer driving culture,” says Nigel Lawrence, director of Applied Driving.

“This is not simply about changing attitudes, but also behaviours, by regularly delivering focused driver training and treating drivers as individuals with unique needs. In pilots, we saw a dramatic change in driving performance with a significant reduction in speeding (68 per cent), hard braking (70 per cent), and rapid acceleration (90 per cent).”

For Sam Footer, partnership director at SureCam, an effective mobile app can reduce fleet-related workload and improve safety performance by automating and streamlining coaching processes and driver engagement.

“The volume of harsh driving and driver distraction events from an AI dashcam can be huge, so it’s about using this information effectively to trigger automated coaching actions based on type, severity and frequency.”

Mobile apps have proven to be highly effective at targeting the worst performing drivers from a gamification and coaching perspective. According to Ctrack’s Steve Thomas: “Giving drivers an individual score alongside company and peer group averages, is a proven way of achieving improved performance, especially amongst those that have poorer driving records.

“Gamification can certainly motivate change, and for even greater returns it can be linked to an incentive scheme that rewards the best or preferably the most improved performers.”

“One fleet found that their bottom 10 per cent of performing drivers were generating 17 times more risk events than the best drivers. However, within four months of adopting an app-enabled coaching system, powered by AI dashcams, the high-risk drivers had cut events by 56 per cent and were only generating four times the number when compared to their better performing peers,” adds SureCam’s Sam Footer.

In some instances, an app can also provide a means of keeping a driver’s eyes on the road. Despite growing evidence about the dangers of illegal mobile usage, there have been recent examples of fleets delaying or even halting planned AI camera rollouts – that combat smartphone distraction behind the wheel – due to push back from drivers and their unions. Mobile phone blocking apps can now offer a non-intrusive alternative to driver-facing AI cameras for those fleets facing opposition.

According to Mark Hadley, CEO of Blackout Technologies, this emerging innovation can help eliminate illegal smartphone usage without raising privacy concerns increasingly linked with some AI video telematics solutions.

“Fleets need to take away the impulse for drivers to take their eyes off the road as smartphone distraction is thought to contribute to as many as 40 per cent of vehicle collisions. App blocking technology can tackle the problem at root by stopping illegal mobile device usage in the first place, without the perceived intrusion on a driver while at work, to prevent many avoidable road injuries and deaths.”

Engagement and communication are crucial for any fleet looking to streamline operations, enhance safety and compliance, and boost the productivity of a vehicle operation. Driver apps offer a powerful solution to tackle multiple challenges that will lead to increased efficiency, improved performance and reduced risks for the business.

SureCam – Driver Coaching

The video telematics specialist has launched a mobile app as part of its AI-powered coaching system to help drivers better understand their performance behind the wheel and target road safety improvements. The communication tool provides automated coaching workflows – with personalised remediation and escalation paths – so drivers receive the guidance needed to correct high-risk behaviours.

The driver app enables fleets to take a stepped response to harsh driving and driver distraction alerts – triggered by an AI dashcam – with automated actions based on type, severity and frequency. Fleets can fully-customise communications including warnings for initial violations or lower risk events, followed by requests to view a training video, complete a coaching quiz or attend an in-person meeting for repeat offenders. The driver will also be able to access all event footage; provide feedback using two-way messaging; and view an individual performance score with peer group comparisons.

Ctrack – Crystal Mobile

Ctrack has introduced a new communication app that is designed to bridge the gap between the fleet manager and the driver, with advanced features that promise to deliver road safety, efficiency and productivity improvements. The multi-functional tool forms part of the company’s AI-enhanced fleet software platform, Crystal, which is being rolled in the UK following its acquisition of Inseego’s international telematics business.

The driver app represents a significant upgrade on a previous mobile solution with a comprehensive range of configurable performance, compliance and operational tools. It supports effective driver management with a detailed driver scorecard to encourage safe and efficient driving styles; real-time job assignments for enhanced task management and allocation; and live-chat for two-way communication. Meanwhile, the driver can take advantage of enhanced navigation and optimized routing, business/private mode, and digital inspections to save time andsimplify their daily work requirements.

Applied Driving – Companion+

Companion+ monitors and analyses driver performance, using data captured either directly from a smartphone-based app with no location, mapping or tracking data being captured or shared. The app is designed to support driver development by establishing an individual behaviour profile and then provide insightful feedback and targeted training and education to improve behaviours and develop improved driver performance.

By identifying riskier driving events, the app sends Triggered Training in the form of a safety message, videos or e-learning modules tailored specifically to each driver’s identified needs. Drivers receive a weekly driver report via email summarising their performance and current ranking position in a driver league table as part of a coordinated communication approach. Optional safety features include crash detection and emergency SOS to deliver added driver protection and safeguarding.

Blackout Technologies – Smartphone Blocking

The smartphone blocking app is installed on a driver’s smartphone to prevent unauthorised access to encrypted messaging tools, social media platforms, streaming, Internet browsing and camera functions, while preventing incoming notifications. The app is the only fleet solution that addresses the issue of illegal device usage at source – believed to contribute to as many as 40 per cent of all vehicle collisions – removing temptation and fostering improved concentration behind the wheel.

Enabled via a telematics unit or dashcam, the app activates when the vehicle is in motion for the duration of the journey and even includes a delay feature to stop drivers using a device when in stationary traffic. If a suspected road collision is detected, the technology can also send a push notification to the driver within seconds to verify the incident and check on their welfare along with an alert to the fleet manager.

Jonathan Symons is a communications consultant with over 25 years of experience in the telematics sector and working with several major suppliers of fleet technology in the road transport sector.