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Video telematics provider also unveiled the UK’s most dangerous roads

 

Lytx^®, a provider of machine vision and artificial intelligence-based video telematics, analytics, productivity and safety solutions for commercial, public sector and services fleets, has revealed the top fleet risky driving trends in the U.K.

 

Lytx's database contains more than 120 billion miles of driving data from more than one million commercial drivers worldwide, capturing over 64 million risky driving events globally each year.

 

According to data for the UK, the top five observed riskiest behaviours for fleet drivers are:

1. Improper following distance
2. Late response
3. Mobile phone use
4. Driving without a seatbelt
5. Failure to keep an out*

 

*Defined as failure to maintain proper space around the vehicle so that drivers have ‘‘an out’’ or escape route should the unexpected occur.

 

Lytx found these behaviours are directly related to potential collisions, proving that the elimination of habitual risky driving behaviours can have an immediate and lasting effect on the frequency and severity of collisions and near collisions a fleet experiences.

 

For example, a driver who follows the vehicle in front of them too closely – this being the most prevalent risky driving behaviour – is approximately 40% more likely to have a collision in the next 90 days than a driver who ensures proper following distance.

 

Similarly, a driver who demonstrates late response to a potential hazard is 80% more likely to have a collision within 90 days than a driver who responds within a proper time frame.

 

Lytx’s research also unveiled some of the U.K.’s riskiest roads, where incidents caused by dangerous driving are most likely to occur. These include:

1. Dartford Crossing on the M25 (Pictured).
2. Junction of the A45 and A46 near Coventry.
   
   

“The best way to eliminate risk in your fleet is to combine proven video telematics with driver coaching, as shown by the impressive improvements our clients across the UK continue to experience,” stated Damian Penney, vice president and general manager for Lytx Europe. “Video insights paired with personalised coaching helps eliminate risky driving habits and is what makes the difference between a good driver safety programme and a great one.”

 

We want to empower our clients with more than just data, but actionable and coachable video events that can improve driver safety, reduce claims costs, and help make sure every driver returns home safely,” Penney said. “We are proud of the strong safety results our clients achieve, knowing we’re helping prevent injuries and save lives.”

Artificial intelligence can be applied to enable the better detection of road traffic disturbances in real-time, according to research by the Finnish Transport Agency and Tieto.

The findings were the result of a Proof of Concept experiment conducted by the two organisations in the spring of 2018 that combined LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) measurement technology with sensor fusion and artificial intelligence techniques to analyse traffic flows.

Traffic situations deviating from the usual constitute a significant road safety risk. At present, the automatic monitoring of traffic anomalies tends to be based on camera surveillance, and the most sophisticated solutions focus mainly on the security of tunnels. Currently, artificial intelligence and sensor data systems are not widely used for real-time monitoring of traffic disturbances. Data analysis systems using sensor fusion and artificial intelligence can now provide new opportunities for traffic management centers to obtain a richer real-time view of road conditions and disruptions as they occur.

The experiment was carried out at the Mestarintunneli tunnel in Leppävaara, Espoo. Alongside camera surveillance, LiDAR sensors were installed in the tunnel. Compared to traffic camera footage, LiDAR technology has the advantage of being reliable in different lighting conditions, including low light environments. The desired solution was to detect, for example, stalled vehicles and other disturbances such as people or animals on the road.

The project had a lot of data at its disposal, collected from the normal traffic flow. However, the number of abnormal situations during the measurement period was small, which made it more difficult to develop an artificial intelligence solution.

“In order to model traffic flows, we decided to build a tailored machine learning model based on sensor fusion, and one that also recognises traffic anomalies by comparing them with the normal traffic model. This approach shows that even a smaller set of observations can be used to build virtually functional artificial intelligence solutions,” says Ari Rantanen, Chief Data Scientist, Data Driven Businesses at Tieto.

“Automatic recognition of traffic disturbances is a key requirement for a secure road network. Based on current functional requirements, the most cost-effective system has been traffic camera surveillance with a built-in disturbance detection system. However, we are constantly monitoring the market and introducing new technologies to seek new opportunities and cost-effectiveness,” says Senior Officer Kalle Ruottinen from the Finnish Transport Agency.

The project showed that automated analysis of traffic flows can produce new, near real-time information for different stakeholder needs without significant investments in sensors. In addition to analysing traffic flows, sensor fusion intelligence enables a number of other uses, such as forecasting traffic disruptions and assisting traffic management.

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Research released last week by Verizon Connect has revealed that the average small to medium-sized fleet operated business in the UK faces a £6,000 repair bill each year due to traffic accidents. Compounding this expense, they also lose an average of five working days each year as a result of vehicle downtime caused by traffic accidents.

Recent figures from the Department of Transport found that lorry traffic increased by 1.1% annually, with drivers travelling over 17.1 billion vehicle miles. The impact of this has hit small fleets as more than half (54 per cent), experienced an accident in the last year.

The strain on UK fleet managers is telling, with a third (31 per cent) of those surveyed by Verizon Connect reporting that maintenance and other associated costs are the top issues keeping them awake at night. The research also shows that fleet managers’ top concern regarding driver safety is using their phones while out on the roads (22 per cent), with speeding coming in at a close second (19 per cent).

Mobile Resource Management (MRM) software, like Verizon Connect, can help fleet managers improve driver safety standards across the fleet by sending real-time alerts to monitor speeding, breaking and other key driver behaviours. When it comes to the main cause of accidents, 29 per cent of fleet managers report that other road users are to blame, rather than their own drivers.

Previous research by Verizon Connect found that a quarter of UK drivers were found to be breaching driver guidelines around rest and fatigue. To combat this, and to uphold driver safety and compliance, just under half of fleet managers (46 per cent) use a tachograph to automatically record vehicle speed and distance and to keep track of their drivers’ rest periods.

“For small businesses, the cost of accidents, and driver downtime is a major concern – particularly as margins are tighter and competition is increasing.  But it’s not just the repair bill that matters, a vehicle out of service for five days could mean losing a valued customer to a rival,” comments Derek Bryan, Vice President, EMEA, Verizon Connect.

“With increasing numbers of vehicles out on the road, upholding driver safety is of utmost concern to fleet managers and drivers. While drivers can’t always avoid an accident, particularly if another driver is at fault, there are clear processes and technology that fleet managers can put in place to better protect their drivers. Making sure drivers take adequate rest breaks while tracking driver behaviour and encouraging safe driving practices can save lives, reduce accidents and uphold the lifetime and efficiency of the vehicles within the fleet.”

 

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