ABM Q4 - Flipbook - Page 82
OPI N I O N
FLEET
Driver empowerment
C
ommercial drivers are often
discussed in terms of the
risk they bring to a fleet.
Fatigue and collision rates
are analysed and insurance
implications assessed. But
behind each data point is
an individual dealing with
pressures on and off the road.
The theme of this year’s World Mental
Health Day is ‘lived experiences heard:
real voices, real change.’ It offers an
opportunity for fleets to think differently
about driver safety - not simply asking
how technology can identify risk, but how
it can provide greater understanding,
agency and support.
Road traffic injuries are among the
leading causes of death worldwide,
while almost a quarter of reported
road collisions in Great Britain involve
someone driving or riding for work,
according to the Department for
Transport (DfT).
For fleets, this makes addressing
the factors behind collisions a critical
priority. Doing so effectively requires
looking beyond individual moments of
risky driving to understand the human
pressures that drivers are under.
Identifying risk early
The first step towards supporting drivers
is to understand when and where risk is
emerging. Fatigue is a prime example,
mainly because it does not always
present obvious warning signs, and
can therefore be incredibly difficult to
detect. Yet it is an issue felt acutely
by fleets, with the Driver and Vehicle
Standards Agency (DVSA) noting that four
in 10 tiredness-related crashes involve
someone driving a commercial vehicle.
Technology can play an important
role in helping fleets recognise signs of
fatigue and other risky behaviours earlier
and with greater accuracy. AI-powered
video telematics, for example, can help
distinguish between behaviours that
may look similar at first glance, such as
82
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
Q4 2026
a driver briefly looking down and their
head drooping involuntarily through
tiredness. When risk is detected, drivers
then receive real-time alerts through
seat vibration or audio-visual warnings,
encouraging them to take corrective
action before things escalate.
Real-time intervention is critical. But
identifying an event is only the beginning.
Data alone cannot explain why a driver
was tired, distracted or behaving
differently from usual, nor should every
flagged event automatically become a
disciplinary issue. The real value comes
from using technology as a starting point
for understanding and improvement.
Helping drivers
To deliver lasting behavioural change,
managers should pair real-time
intervention with ongoing coaching
and support. Online self-coaching, for
example, allows drivers to review risky
events privately after a shift and identify
recurring behaviours. Risky behaviour
can often result from a brief lapse in
concentration or something that did not
register with the driver in the moment.
Watching themselves on video brings
the event more firmly into their conscious
awareness, enabling them to review
their overall driving style and identify
any recurring behaviours. Combined
with targeted micro-learning, this
gives drivers the tools to take greater
ownership of improvement.
We have seen first-hand how powerful
this type of training can be. To support
this kind of self-coaching, Optix
developed an app that combines driver
self-review with follow-up training. We
introduced the solution with a leading
logistics and supply chain solution
provider which saw risky behaviours
across its fleet fall by 67%, and the
frequency of risky events reduced by 37%
in just four months.
This approach can also make manager
coaching more targeted, reserving faceto-face support for higher-risk events.
