Andy Walters, Managing Director of vehicle tracking provider, Quartix, describes how to redefine speed limits for your fleet and improve safety out on the roads. The idea behind his unique research received the 2018 Queens Award for Enterprise in Innovation.
Drivers at every construction company travel considerable distances to reach sites every day, and a strong vehicle tracking system can go a long way to encourage safer driving habits. The majority of UK road deaths happen on rural roads despite the relatively low volume of traffic they carry. Accidents on these rural roads, however, often occur at speeds below the National Speed Limit, which raises the question – what is a safe speed and how can we define it for each road we travel on?
Safe speeds: How far below the legal limit are they?
On single carriageways, research show that only 8% of road users exceed the 60mph limit. With far fewer cases of speeding seen on the roads with the highest fatality rates, the need for a stronger, more robust safety measure than the legal speed limit was a clear focus for us at Quartix. The appropriate speed for any given road depends on its context, layout, width, surface, contour, conditions and time of day. A safe speed for most of a typical rural road is not 60mph, as frequent bends will require you to slow down.
Evidence suggests a driver’s risk of suffering an accident increases rapidly as they deviate above the average speed of moving vehicles on a specific stretch of road.
Putting the theory into practice: Improving your safety metrics
Our SafeSpeed Database uses real traffic data to determine a more appropriate benchmark for safety. We collect over 30 million data points each day from 100,000 drivers and then match these against 2 million sections of UK roads.
A green score is awarded for any speed below the mean. Speeds ranking above 75% are marked in red and identified as dangerous. Our customers find that using this insight not only addresses the most significant danger that their drivers face, but also:
- reduces the number of accidents by 5-20%
- reduces liability and costs of accidents by 10%
- reduces fuel costs by 25%
The Quartix Solution
The Quartix vehicle tracking system has been installed in over 500,000 vehicles and helps a wide range of businesses improve productivity, cut costs and save on fuel every day. Providing commercial fleet tracking for cars, trucks, coaches and vans throughout the UK, US and France, the system offers a host of valuable features for fleet managers.
Quartix offers tiered packages to help businesses identify their safest drivers, make sense of mileage and fuel costs and reduce admin. Get in touch to discuss the best option for your business on 01686 806 663 or [email protected].