Last updated on : July 21st, 2020 by R Yadav
Safe driving practices keep both drivers of a vehicle and others on the road secure. When you are operating a fleet, there are several safety regulations that you have to be mindful of.
Your fleet drivers, most likely, are pulling long shifts with little breaks and traveling across the country at maximum speed to ensure that they deliver the goods on time. This might risk their as well as the safety of other vehicles and pedestrians.
While there are regulations that are in effect for heavy vehicle movement, getting telematics insurance for your vehicles can have several benefits when it comes to keeping everyone safe.
If you're the owner of a commercial fleet, a simple telematics definition can help you understand its function and benefits to your organization.
A telematics smart box, also called a black box, gathers your driving data based on your acceleration, speed, and braking and gives you a telematics driving score. As your score goes up, you can qualify for more savings and rewards on your telematics insurance.
This includes navigation systems, vehicle tracking systems, and remote control systems. Having a telematics apparatus in your vehicle can help drivers to an enormous extent.
Here are ten ways in which telematics can make you manage your driving better.
Speeding on the road is one of the leading causes of accidents. With a telematics device installed in the vehicle, you can track its speed and compare it against the speed limits of a particular road to ensure that you are not breaking road regulations.
Having a level of accountability also spurs you to be more conscious of their speed and not drive rashly endangering their and others on the road.
Conducting daily safety checks on your vehicle is an essential step to take before they leave your garage. With proper checks, it is easy to ensure that the truck doesn't have any damages that could cause it to malfunction while on the road.
Telematics devices allow you to easily identify any pertinent damage in your vehicle. It also allows anyone who is commanding the truck or trailer to check for the same and report back to you in real-time.
Long haul trips might be especially difficult for you causing you to feel fatigued at best and fall asleep at the wheel at the worst. Managing your fatigue on long trips is essential.
Using a telematics device, you can identify patterns on when the fatigue is setting in and ensure that you are taking regular breaks for rest during your trips to avoid any mishaps.
The telematics smart box not only monitors the behavior of drivers on the road but also uses analytics and insights from trips to help them get better at their tasks.
It helps you capture essential information on behind-the-wheel driver behavior and provides real-time coaching suggestion which can help address issues immediately and prompt you to improve as a driver.
When you have multiple vehicles, it is likely that you don't drive all the trucks yourself. It could be your family members - your wife, children, or parents - and even hired chauffeurs who might be driving the cars.
In a situation like this, you might not be able to inspect and keep a direct tab on the vehicles. But when you use a telematics system that is implemented across your cars, you can easily track the movement or management of these vehicles from your location to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Telematics goes beyond just giving a score to drivers. It helps you manages your compliance, provides greater visibility of your vehicle, and fosters a sense of accountability and safety.
With advanced analytics, you can find more avenues to improve yourself as a driver on the road. It is especially useful when you are teaching someone to drive for the first time because the constant guidance can truly help them evolve into better drivers.
If drivers are held accountable for the behavior on the road, they are more likely to maintain safe driving practices out on the field. Drivers who have telematics devices in their vehicles are seen to be involved in lesser accidents than those without these devices.
As you get higher scores through your telematics smart box, you can notch up to lower premiums and more rewards from your telematics insurance provider.
Telematics allows you to access the most comprehensive data and analytics. Through the devices which can be accessed by both through a login portal and on the road, in-vehicle behavior can be tracked in real-time.
This would include everything from the usage of seatbelts to speeding. If a trucker fails to comply with these safety rules, the device can alert them to ensure that they rectify their behavior.
Overcrowding a vehicle can not only put the lives of the driver at risk but also can be a considerable threat to others on the road. You may also be bogged down with hefty fines.
Your telematics device can tell you if you have more passengers or luggage that is above a permitted limit. This would make sure that your vehicle is never overloaded, thus avoiding fines.
Having a telematics system in place allows you to keep a check on the health of your vehicle, thus ensuring that they are well-maintained.
In effect, having telematics systems ensures that your vehicle is high performing and is at a lower risk for breakdowns as well as less time spent in repair.
Telematics systems have a wide range of advantages, which goes beyond just providing drivers with a score based on their handling of the vehicle on the road.
It can improve fleet management by making your vehicles safer, keep your drivers from being too fatigued as well as help you grow your business into a reliable and more efficient enterprise.
Moreover, it can make reduce your insurance premiums over the years, whether you are a business or a standalone vehicle owner.
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Excellent post on safe driving techniques.
Must read for techy guys..