THE HEALTH ISSUE
Eyes on the road
How tackling mobile phone distraction can help costs, productivity and efficiency in fleets. By Mark Hadley, co-founder and CEO, Blackout Technologies
Using a smartphone when driving makes you four times more likely to have a collision. Despite this fact, illegal mobile device usage is surging, particularly among younger drivers. This trend represents a huge and growing risk to fleet operations that have a responsibility to safeguard their drivers, business and other road users.
As you hopefully already know, it is illegal to hold and use a mobile phone or any handheld device while driving on the UK road network. The penalties for being caught include a £200 fine and six points on your licence. For new drivers, it’s even more severe, as they can face having their licence revoked if the offence takes place within two years of passing their test. If the case goes to court, the driver could also be banned from driving and receive a maximum fine of £1,000. As of March 2022, the laws were updated to increase the deterrent, close loopholes and address a wider range of mobile device uses.
Businesses, meanwhile, have a duty of care to ensure they are meeting health and safety standards across their fleet operation – and could be held liable in the event of an incident involving one of their vehicles. The result of non-compliance can be significant, with potential fines representing at least 20% of turnover and even a custodial sentence for those in charge. A business must also consider other implications, including increased insurance costs, staff shortages due to banned drivers and reputational damage.
“A recent survey found that only 10% of motorists can complete a road journey, from start to finish, without touching their mobile device”
Mark Hadley co-founder and CEO Blackout Technologies
The story so far
Tougher laws have so far failed to provide an adequate deterrent, with a 93% year-on-year increase in drivers caught using a mobile device. In fact, during the police’s Operation Tramline – where unmarked HGVs were used to patrol the UK road network – over a quarter of the 51,500 offences spotted involved illegal mobile phone use. Smartphone distraction is believed to contribute to as many as 40% of vehicle collisions, but still a large proportion of drivers openly admit to using their smartphones behind the wheel. A recent survey found that only 10% of motorists can complete a road journey, from start to finish, without touching their mobile device.
Telematics has evolved in recent years to better target driver behaviour and fleet risk – such as distracted driving – although this typically focuses on gaining insights after the incident and taking corrective action. Monitoring harsh driving events can effectively identify underlying issues, while driver-facing cameras can determine if a mobile device was in use during a near-miss or collision. More recently, AI cameras have been introduced to identify and address distracted driving as it happens, however there have been some concerns among drivers around privacy as well as the frequency of false positives, which can become an added distraction.
Emerging blocking technology – capable of preventing unauthorised access to smartphone apps and notifications while driving – is expected to be one of the next breakthrough technologies in the fight against mobile phone distraction. When the vehicle is in motion, this type of tool can automatically restrict encrypted messaging tools, the camera and other popular apps and even prevent drivers using their smartphone when in stationary traffic. It can also possess crash detection functionality, meaning a notification can be sent to the driver to verify if a collision has occurred and check on their welfare.
There is also huge potential for mobile blocking technology when combined with complementary systems, such as fleet and video telematics, to provide added choice and safety features within the marketplace. We have seen pushback from drivers and unions against driver-facing AI cameras, with some fleets delaying or even halting planned rollouts due to privacy concerns. With this in mind, a mobile phone blocking solution offers a non-invasive alternative that can tackle the problem at root without the perceived intrusion on a driver while at work.
The welfare of drivers and other road users is a priority for all fleets, and yet one of the biggest contributing factors to road collisions is all too often overlooked. There needs to be more done to remove the temptation for drivers to take their eyes off the road and discourage illegal device usage. By removing this distraction, fostering improved concentration and promoting a responsible driving attitude, it becomes possible to prevent many avoidable road injuries and deaths, while enhancing overall driver and fleet performance.
