Damian Penney, chief revenue officer, Optix

A safer fleet is about people as well as technology

Technology is playing a vital role in the safety of fleets. Automatic braking systems, lane assist features and speed limiters are all making driving safer. Yet the most important factor in any fleet safety programme is still the driver – a fleet’s most precious asset, but also its greatest source of risk. 

Reducing that risk requires more than isolated tools. It demands a connected approach, bringing together safety, efficiency and intelligence in a way that delivers real-world impact. This is what Optix is all about. By combining advanced technology with rich, actionable data and human insight, we help fleets move beyond reactive safety into proactive performance.

Our AI-powered video technology helps drivers stay in control by alerting them when it detects signs of distraction or fatigue. It also provides information to help managers identify each driver’s needs – so a tailored coaching programme can be put in place. 

Collaboration between humans is also essential to making safety technology work for a fleet. No one tech company has a silver bullet for safety and every fleet has its own specific requirements. For global fleets, these differ from country to country. The top safety risks for a fleet in Mexico or South Africa, for example, are very different from those in Australia or the US. Even within Europe there are many variations. Laws protecting driver privacy, along with attitudes to in-cab technology, are not the same across the continent. Local expertise, combined with global capability, is therefore critical for implementation – particularly when it comes to zones where there is geopolitical instability or strict import regulations. That’s why we work closely with our telematics partners to connect systems, data and insights across borders, unifying safety, efficiency and intelligence into a seamless solution. By combining our international implementation experience with best-in-class technologies, we enable fleets to deploy solutions that are not only effective, but adaptable, helping them operate smarter and get their drivers safely home.

Why safety and efficiency are not competing priorities 

Telematics technology has become an essential part of safety planning for every fleet. In Europe, regulations are even making some aspects of it mandatory: various technologies, including driver drowsiness monitoring, are named in the EU General Safety Regulation.  

Data from vehicles, captured using telematics, can provide a picture of how a vehicle has been driven. Events such as harsh braking or swerving for instance can help to assess driving behaviour. To understand the causes of these events, however, video has risen to the top of the list of safety technologies. When combined with AI, “intelligent” video can recognise specific driver behaviours and trigger alerts if risk is detected. That might be distracted behaviour – smoking, or using a mobile phone, for example – or signs of fatigue, such as blinking and eye closure or yawning. In these instances, a seat vibration or audio-visual alert prompts the driver to correct their behaviour in real-time. In some cases, video footage is also captured for later review, providing valuable context for fleet managers after an incident and evidence to exonerate drivers when a collision wasn’t their fault.

More data is not always better, however. False positives in particular can pose a real risk. A system that issues too many alerts will infuriate drivers and ultimately lead them to ignore it altogether. Similarly, too much video footage needing manual review will consume hours of time, lessening its value and subsequently its use. 

Advanced telematics technology can, however, improve safety without compromising efficiency. A mature AI-based video solution, trained on years of data, will achieve a high degree of accuracy in identifying the difference between risky and normal driver behaviours. This means that bleeps will not be issued simply because a driver has glanced away from the road for a millisecond, and managers can avoid having to spend hours reviewing video footage. 

Most importantly, a fleet with safer drivers, trained with the help of video telematics, is also a more efficient one. Better driving results in less wear and tear to vehicles, lower fuel consumption and fewer accidents. This in turn brings cost savings: fewer vehicles off the road, lower insurance premiums and less risk to a company’s reputation.

While telematics and video are not new, AI has significantly changed their role. Trends can be made apparent, risks pinpointed and a clear picture painted of the fleet as a whole so that plans for improvement can be made on a solid footing. It’s no longer a question of whether to prioritise safety technology or efficiency – the two now go hand in hand. 

For more information about Optix, visit https://optix.co/ or LinkedIn.