One of our extractives sector clients operates across Africa in some of the most remote locations on the continent. The client’s HQ in North America had already deployed an IVMS (In-Vehicle Monitoring System) across its North American fleet to improve Health and Safety. The highlight was the contribution this made to achieving 4 million staff-hours with no lost-time incidents (LTI’s).
The client then went to market for an IVMS solution suitable for its Africa operations. Africa posed the challenge of high levels of serious road traffic accidents (RTAs) and a lack of driver behavior accountability.
The key requirements were for:
- Dual-mode GSM/Satellite
- Rugged & easily installed devices
- Auditable report statistics
- Constant data storage & retrieval for investigations
- Fully integrated & easy to use IVMS platform
- Automatically and manually generated reports
- Remote vehicle immobilization
- Driver ID
Presented with the client requirements and expectations, Sicuro Technology proposed the use of its dual-mode Diablo GSM/satellite IVMS. The Diablo met all client requirements and our SicuroTrack™ provided greater value than expected from the investment in IVMS.
RFID fobs and vehicle tracking
Critically, using the radio frequency identification (RFID) capability of the Diablo, each driver was issued a unique key fob. When presented to an RFID reader installed in each vehicle, all of the driving behavior events are attributed to each individual driver.
Each event can be ranked in order of severity or priority depending on the needs or goals of the client. For example, if speeding violations are the top cause of road traffic collisions (RTCs), this type of violation would be given a higher severity score on the platform.
RAG driver performance reports
Once this is all set up, you can run a red/amber/green (RAG) report to determine the performance of each driver. This quickly identifies high-performers along with those who require additional training to reduce risks on the road.
Widely-tracked driving behavior events include:
- Harsh Braking
- Harsh Turning
- Harsh Acceleration
- Idling
- Speeding
- Crash Events
- Seatbelt Violations
The accountability provided by the system promotes positive driving behavior and decreases the risks of poor driving. In the first eight months, the Sicuro system had reduced serious RTCs by 50% and speeding events by up to 90%, depending on the operational environment.
Dual-mode vs cellular/GSM tracking devices
A key capability of the Diablo IVMS is that if the 2/3/4G GSM network signal is not present, the device will still report using satellite coverage. In the rare occasions where there is no satellite or GSM coverage is available, all data is stored on the device and sent once the connection is re-established. This means no data is lost and there are no ‘blackspots’ where driver behavior data is unavailable.
Real-world use case: road traffic incident investigations
Sicuro Technology was contacted by the client fleet manager for the data relating to a serious RTA. This was part of an investigation into whether poor driving behavior was a contributing factor or, as the driver claimed, it was caused by swerving to avoid another vehicle.
These cases are typically handled by the 24/7 Operations Room and escalated to the Regional Management Team when needed. The Sicuro Technology team was able to pinpoint the exact time and location of the incident, which is recorded as a ‘crash’ event due to the G-force reading from the device.
Having analyzed the data leading up to the incident, there were no violations reported until the harsh breaking, harsh turning, and ‘crash’ event that represented the RTA. Further to this, the average speed on the rural roads had been 35 kph; well within the client’s maximum speed limit and suitable for the road conditions at the time. No speeding violations were flagged in the lead-up to the RTA. The data suggests the driver had to swerve to avoid a collision with an oncoming vehicle. The fault was not with the driver but rather a result of other road users.
As businesses increase their duty of care, driver statistical analysis and trend data are key to ensuring best practice. Accountability for an organization’s drivers encourages positive driving habits, which will lower the risk of incidents and extend the lifespan of vehicles.
In-Vehicle Monitoring System (IVMS) Benefits
- Driver behavior monitoring reduces Road Traffic Accidents and decreases fleet maintenance costs.
- Engine usage reports identify wasteful operations and enable reductions in servicing and maintenance costs.
- C02 emissions data can help an organization understand its carbon footprint and take steps toward being carbon neutral.
- Fuel data provides clear indicators of efficient use or possible theft.
- Asset location and immobilization features allow for better chances of recovery from unauthorized use.
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) key fobs increase driver accountability and reduce the risk of unauthorized use of vehicles.
- Client site geofences can automatically alert users to out-of-hours or out-of-bounds operation of vehicles and machinery.
