DriveCam’s latest Driving Insights Series with a look at the fundamentals of safe driving in the distribution industry.
Its research of more than 7,000 active drivers reveals that drivers who fail to maintain reasonable space around their vehicle, and those who maintain poor following distances, are more likely to be involved in a collision.
Every day, distribution drivers are under pressure to make deliveries quickly while also driving safely - usually on crowded urban streets where space management is an issue.
It’s no surprise that distribution drivers involved in a collision were 4.68 times more likely to maintain less than 1 second following distance, and 2.93 times more likely to maintain less than 2 seconds following distance.
DriveCam research found that following distance is not the only problem. Space management (or failing to keep an out) also leads to collisions.
Results from the study found that distribution drivers who are involved in 1 or more collisions are:
- 6.41 times more likely to fail to keep an out
- 4.68 times more likely to follow too close, 1 second or less
“Failing to keep an out” is defined as instances where the driver failed to maintain sufficient space around the vehicle. This includes unnecessarily cutting it close to other vehicles, pedestrians, or objects; failing to adjust vehicle pace or position to minimize exposure to a potential problem that is clearly visible; and unnecessarily traveling too long alongside another vehicle, thus reducing the “out” to the side.
This latest Driving Insights release focused on the analysis of over 7,000 active drivers within the distribution industry between July 2009 and December 2010.
The difference between collision and non-collision drivers’ distracted driving behaviors was evaluated for this study in order to identify the behaviors with a statistically significant difference.
Once they were identified, the probability of a collision given the number of times the behavior was observed was calculated.
DriveCam prevents collisions and reduces fuel costs by improving the way people drive. Its solution addresses the causes of poor driving by combining data and video analytics with real-time driver feedback and coaching.
For more information, visit www.drivecam.com.
