Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Telematics Companies Helping to Save Lives through Anti-Text Technology
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Fatal Auto Crashes Up Despite Rise In Patrols
Ohio Patrol says many of this year’s 312 victims weren’t using seat belts.
By Mark Gokavi, Staff Writer, Dayton Daily News
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
More people are dying on Ohio roads at a significantly higher rate in the
first four months of this year after a record-low number of traffic deaths
last year.
The 16.4 percent rise in statewide traffic fatalities in the first third of
2012 comes despite the Ohio Highway Patrol cracking down on drunk driving
and seat belt and felony drug violations.
Plus, the six-county area of Montgomery, Warren, Butler, Preble, Darke and
Miami has seen 24 more traffic fatalities — many not wearing seat belts —
than during the same period in 2011. Those numbers don’t yet include a
recent double fatality in Butler County or a late-April fatal in Greene
County.
“Fatals are a difficult thing for us to curb,” said OHP Lt. Matt Hamilton of
the Warren County Post. “We’re aggressive in OVI (Operating a Vehicle while
under the Influence of drugs or alcohol) and seat belt enforcement so if
that crash does happen, they have the best chance that they have to survive.”
Statewide, provisional OHP statistics show there have been 312 fatalities
(from 275 crashes) through four months in 2012.
That number was 268 in 2011, which became the lowest auto-related fatality
year (1,020 deaths from 947 accidents) in Ohio history and also the lowest
nationally.
A national highway safety advocate said Ohio lacks leadership and commitment
to strengthen laws. Jackie Gillan, President of Advocates for Highway and
Auto Safety, said Ohio is among the worst eight states in that
organization’s annual report.
“Ohio is at the bottom of the barrel because they are lacking so many critical
laws like primary enforcement of seat belt, all-rider motorcycle helmet
laws, they don’t have major elements of an important teen driving law, they
have weak drunk-driving laws,” Gillan said.
Gillan’s organization supports limits for teen drivers such as night-time and
cellphone restrictions, and 16 as the minimum age for learner’s permits. In
Ohio, most drunk-driving crimes are misdemeanors unless drivers have
multiple offenses.
Most dead weren’t wearing belts
Of the 38 deaths in those six local counties through April that did not
involve pedestrians or motorcycles, at least 25 were not wearing seat belts.
In four more cases it’s unknown if seat belts were used. The causes of the
crashes range from people falling asleep to driving left of center to
alcohol-related and excessive speed.
“There’s crashes and it’s people being ejected out of the vehicle and the
crashed car, in the compartment, there isn’t any real intrusion or trees or
poles or anything, it’s just a damaged car,” said Sgt. Jeff Kramer of the
post that serves Montgomery County. “But not having their safety belt on
they get ejected out of the windshield or something like that and then the
car rolls over on them.
“I don’t know for sure that they’d be alive had they worn their seat belt,
(but) probably there’s a good chance the injuries would be minimal and not
fatal. We see this time and time and time again. It’s just a simple thing of
clicking your seat belt.”
Despite seat belt infractions being a secondary offense, enforcement also is
up 16.4 percent in Ohio overall and much higher in some counties.
In Montgomery County, seat belt enforcement is up 64.7 percent — 799 in 2012
versus 485 in the same time frame last year. In Greene County, seat belt
tickets are up nearly 70 percent. In Warren County, those numbers are up 44
percent. And in Miami County, troopers have enforced seat belt infractions
511 times, up from 267 in that period last year — a 91.4 percent increase.
“We’ve had four fatal (crashes) with four dead,” said Sgt. Vee Witcher of the
Piqua Post. “None were wearing seat belts, so that’s why we’re cracking
belts.”
Gillan said an unbuckled seat belt should be a primary reason to pull someone
over.
“We know that wearing a seat belt is one of the most important things you can
do to protect you and your family,” Gillan said. “So why are we tying the
hands of law enforcement so that they can only enforce the law if they see
someone doing something else that’s equally or more dangerous?”
All enforcement increasing
Statewide, troopers made more than 24,000 additional enforcement stops from
January through April compared to this time in 2011 — an increase of 16.3
percent.
Drug violations were up 32.8 percent, felony arrests up 18.1 percent,
misdemeanor summons up 36.1 percent and commercial vehicle enforcement up
19.6 percent, among others.
“The new leadership in the Highway Patrol is a big part of this. We’re
refocusing our efforts on the things that the public find most important,”
Hamilton said of Col. John Born, who took over in 2011 as the OHP’s
superintendent.
The “Trooper Shield” initiative was introduced in 2011 and continues to pick
up steam in 2012. Officials say Born wants criminal patrol to be as
important as traffic enforcement.
“If you drink and drive, we’re looking for you. If you’re hauling drugs on our
roads, we’re looking for you,” said Sgt. Anthony Lauer of the post that
serves Greene County. “And bottom line is a seat belt is going to save your
life. That’s where you’re seeing an increase in those numbers.”
County numbers
In Greene County, that mentality has translated into much higher numbers of
OVI violations (29 percent) and drug violations (30 from 11). In Warren
County, OVIs are up 26 percent and commercial vehicle violations (tied
mainly to construction zones on I-71 and I-75) are up 55 percent.
In Miami County, overall enforcement stops are up 64.7 percent — from 1,262 in
the same time frame last year to 2,112 this year. In Montgomery County, some
felony and drug violations are down, but overall enforcement stops are up 36
percent.
“Trooper Shield is kind of a new phrase that the patrol has been using,
adopted by our Col. John Born,” Kramer said. “The premise is getting in the
minds of the troopers, ‘What will you do today to contribute to a safer
Ohio?’ ”
Kramer said the OHP will keep finding violations, especially during the Prom,
Memorial Day and graduation season. But troopers can’t put on seat belts,
which he said is the best defense in a crash: “It’s all in their hands when
they make that decision.”
For more information on how Lynx Telematics,
an OEM located in Cincinnati, Ohio can help your fleet become more
operationally efficient or custom design a solution to meet your fleet
management needs, contact Vincent Rush at (866) 314-0461
LynxTelematics is an OEM that
controls design, engineering, firmware, software development, IT
support and manufacturing processes of our product, allowing us to
produce the highest quality product in our industry, while offering our
customers competitive pricing.
As
your partner, we provide ongoing training and support to insure that
the product is properly sold to the end user, maximizing the re-sellers
profitability.
As one of the pioneers in telematics technologies, Lynx Telematics provides
our clients with powerful end-to-end vehicle telematics tools. Our
technology offers a real solution that delivers safety, saves money and
provides an unprecedented level of peace of mind to our customers.
Our product, LynxSafe,
is the newest and most advanced Text and Web Browsing Disabling technology, in-vehicle communication system
currently on the market. It combines GPS/satellite and GSM cellular
technology to provide users and family members with immediate access to
real-time information including seat belt usage, speed, accident notification, and real time ECM diagnostics delivered directly via any internet enabled device
including Android and Blackberry smart phones.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Newest prom danger: Texts
Distracted driving latest focus of annual mock crash
MARION - Mock crashes in the spring are as much the norm for high schools as their proms and graduations.
Once a message not to drink and drive, they are now used as a tool against distracted driving as well.
The Marion post of the Ohio Highway Patrol staged a mock crash attended by students from Elgin, Marion Catholic, Pleasant and Ridgedale high schools Monday morning at the Marion County Fairgrounds. Firefighters from the Marion City and Marion Township fire departments worked together to free "victims" from vehicles using the Jaws of Life and saws.
Students portrayed the victims. Ridgedale's Samantha Burns was the fatality, on the ground covered in a white sheet. Highway patrol trooper Ben Addy gave the safe-driving speech, walking through the grandstand and talking to students with the crash scene in the background.
He shared some stories, including one in which two family members died in a crash caused by a distracted driver trying to pass a semitrailer.
"That vehicle is a missile," Addy said, recalling something a past post commander used to say about the dangers of unsafe driving. "We are hoping you guys will listen to us."
Distracted driving has become part of the talk of law enforcement as they educate teens about the consequences of unsafe driving.
Lt. Lance Shearer, commander of the patrol's Marion post, said dangers include texting and driving as well as changing the radio or eating while driving. He said distracted driving is a huge issue of concern when it comes to causes of avoidable crashes.
"You know kids are doing it," he said.
A Pew Internet and American Life survey completed in 2009 found that 34 percent of 16- and 17-year-old teen texter respondents said they had texted while driving. The report estimated that about 26 percent of all American teens ages 16 to 17 text while driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 16 percent of fatal crashes and 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. Sixteen percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reportedly distracted while driving.
As far as dangers, a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study stated that sending or receiving a text takes the driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, that would be the same as driving the length of a football field blind.
The issue has been discussed in the Legislature. The Ohio Senate recently passed a bill that would ban texting while driving. The bill, which must be approved by the Ohio House, would make texting and driving a primary offense for teens younger than 18.
That means law enforcement could pull teens over for the offense without spotting any other offenses and teens could face a 60-day license suspension for a first offense.
Ridgedale student Hannah Loper said she volunteered to portray a crash victim because it sounded like fun and teaches teens not to text and drive. She and other students agreed that it is a problem.
While talking about distracted driving, troopers also lectured against the dangers of drinking and driving. Addy told students not to drink considering they are underage, but added that if they do, to only do so in moderation and not drive for any reason.
He talked about the scenes that first responders come across as he referred to an area of broken glass on a van's windshield. That area, he said, is commonly caused by the head of a driver not wearing a seat belt.
"A lot of times you will find hair, skin, blood right in the windshield," he said.
Student volunteers described their experience as interesting but a bit uncomfortable.
"I think the Jaws of Life is pretty scary," said Loper, who portrayed the driver of a car involved in the crash. She sat with a sheet over her as firefighters cut off and removed the car's top.
"It was a new experience but scary at the same time," she said. "The saw is by your head."
Burns spent the entire time lying on the ground as if she was dead. A firefighter laid a sheet over her and continued to the car as he and others worked to free victims.
Addy explained that first responders focus on the living because that's who they can still help.
"I thought it was pretty scary," Burns said. "I was supposed to be dead. They said, 'She's dead. Don't worry about her.'"
For information on the LynxSafe Teen Driving Monitor, that disables texting and driving, along with web browsing, contact Development Manager Vincent Rush at Lynx Telematics in Cincinnati, Ohio at 513-965-6318 or 513-702-0495. Vincent Rush can also be reached by email at vrush@lynxtelematics.com or visit http://lynxtelematics.com for information on Lynx Telematics.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Ohio Senate votes to outlaw texting while driving
COLUMBUS — Even as some members conceded that they are as guilty as anyone, the Ohio Senate voted 25-8 across party lines today to make Ohio the 38th state to criminalize texting while driving.
They also went a step further to prohibit teen drivers from operating or programming a cell phone, portable computer, directional device, or any other electronic device while driving.
An adult who texts and drives would be guilty of a minor misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $150. Like Ohio’s mandatory seat belt law, it would be a secondary offense requiring police to have another reason for pulling the driver over.
But for the teen under the age of 18 who violates the broader ban on electronic devices, it would be a primary offense, meaning police would need no other reason for the traffic stop. The first offense could lead to a $150 fine and a 60-day license suspension. The second would carry a $300 fine and one-year suspension.
Sen. John Eklund (R., Chardon) pointed to a previously enacted law that made it illegal for a teen driver to have more than one non-family passenger in his vehicle as evidence that curbing driver distractions saves lives.
“Over the course of three years, a 26 percent reduction in the number of fatalities of that group of drivers in the state of Ohio… by removing a distraction,’’ he said. “There is nobody in this room who would suggest that the use of these gizmos is not a distraction…
“When this bill passes, don’t violate the law,’’ Mr. Eklund said. “It’s really very simple, and you’re not then going to be called a hypocrite.’’
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Rex Damschroder (R., Fremont) and Nancy Garland (D., New Albany), overwhelmingly passed the Ohio House last year but without the more restrictive provisions applying to teen drivers. Mr. Damschroder introduced it after a newly licensed 16-year-old girl in his district, while texting, crossed the center line and killed a motorcyclist headed in the opposite direction.
Some opponents of the bill, however, argued that it infringes on individual rights while including so many exceptions as to render it unenforceable.
“There are 10 exemptions for adult drivers to utilize electronic devices behind the wheel…,’’ said Sen. Capri Cafaro (D., Hubbard). “This definition (of “texting’’) basically says that… I can use my phone to read the newspaper, play games, and write myself a note because it’s not an e-mail, a text message, or instant message. I certainly don’t feel that this bill fulfills the objective that it sets out to achieve.’’
Among members representing northwest Ohio, the bill drew support from Sens. Mark Wagoner (R., Ottawa Hills), Cliff Hite (R., Findlay), and David Burke (R., Marysville). The sole northwest vote in opposition was cast by Sen. Edna Brown (D., Toledo), who offered an unsuccessful amendment to make it more restrictive.
“Instead of Ohio passing a controversial law with exemptions and possible loopholes, why don’t we pass meaningful legislation that requires all communication while driving in Ohio to be totally hands free,’’ she said.
The bill now returns to the House for approval of the Senate changes. It would not override more stringent ordinances enacted in local communities. The texting ban in Toledo, for instance, carries a fine of $1,000 plus six months in jail.
Sen. Bill Seitz (R., Cincinnati) argued that having state and local laws could lead to a driver being punished twice for the same activity.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Cox Enterprises Uses Telematics and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles to Cut Costs and Reduce Its Carbon Footprint
Cox Enterprises Uses Telematics and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles to Cut Costs and Reduce Its Carbon Footprint
ATLANTA – Cox Enterprises celebrated the fifth anniversary of Cox Conserves, the company’s national sustainability program, and provided details on its 12,000-vehicle fleet’s specific achievements in its latest corporate sustainability report.
The company said it launched the Cox Conserves program in 2007, and that it is designed to reduce Cox Enterprises’ energy consumption “by embracing renewable forms of energy, conserving natural resources and inspiring eco-friendly behavior.”
Cox Enterprises said it currently employs flex-fuel vehicles and is replacing fleet vehicles with a mix of more fuel-efficient models and hybrids. The company said a number of these vehicles are used by its Cox Communications division.
Currently, 90% of Cox’s executive fleet vehicles each get 27 mpg, 10% of the fleet consists of Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (PZEV) and LEED-ranked vehicles, and the fleet now has nearly 300 hybrid vehicles. For the company’s network operations vehicles, 90% of them use a new hybrid operating system that allows them to emit zero emissions during aerial operation.
Cox also employs a GPS/telematics system, now installed in a total of 5,000 vehicles in the fleet, which the company said saves more than 1 million gallons of fuel each year. The system also helps Cox reduce its carbon footprint by more than 25 million lbs. of CO2. Other features of the GPS/telematics system include a vehicle diagnostics component, which the company said helps drivers reduce fuel use (by controlling engine idle time) and C02 emissions, and a “GeoManager” module. The GeoManager features mapping and real-time traffic, and allows field tech supervisors and dispatchers to improve operating efficiency and customer service and reduce operating costs. Both features allowed Cox to reduce vehicle idle time by 84%, from 90 minutes per day to 15, during the first year of the system’s use. The company also created a “no-idle” zone at the Atlanta headquarters’ loading dock.
For the executive vehicle program, Cox employees must choose a vehicle that achieves mpg of 27 or better. Cox partners with Georgia’s Clean Air Campaign and the Perimeter Transportation Coalition. Clean Air Campaign recognized Cox with a PACE Large Business Award in 2006 and a PACE Innovator Award for a Green Fleet in 2008, according to the company.
Additional transportation options for employees also help reduce the company’s carbon footprint and costs. The company utilizes a shuttle system that transports employees to a public transit station (including MARTA). Cox also provides a motor pool via a Borrow-A-Hybrid program. Vehicles branded with “Cox Conserves” are available to employees who take alternative forms of transportation. Employees can check out the cars if they need to attend an off-site meeting, for example. The company also provides a guaranteed ride home if an emergency occurs to employees who take public transportation.
Cox Enterprises said it currently employs flex-fuel vehicles and is replacing fleet vehicles with a mix of more fuel-efficient models and hybrids. The company said a number of these vehicles are used by its Cox Communications division.
Currently, 90% of Cox’s executive fleet vehicles each get 27 mpg, 10% of the fleet consists of Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (PZEV) and LEED-ranked vehicles, and the fleet now has nearly 300 hybrid vehicles. For the company’s network operations vehicles, 90% of them use a new hybrid operating system that allows them to emit zero emissions during aerial operation.
Cox also employs a GPS/telematics system, now installed in a total of 5,000 vehicles in the fleet, which the company said saves more than 1 million gallons of fuel each year. The system also helps Cox reduce its carbon footprint by more than 25 million lbs. of CO2. Other features of the GPS/telematics system include a vehicle diagnostics component, which the company said helps drivers reduce fuel use (by controlling engine idle time) and C02 emissions, and a “GeoManager” module. The GeoManager features mapping and real-time traffic, and allows field tech supervisors and dispatchers to improve operating efficiency and customer service and reduce operating costs. Both features allowed Cox to reduce vehicle idle time by 84%, from 90 minutes per day to 15, during the first year of the system’s use. The company also created a “no-idle” zone at the Atlanta headquarters’ loading dock.
For the executive vehicle program, Cox employees must choose a vehicle that achieves mpg of 27 or better. Cox partners with Georgia’s Clean Air Campaign and the Perimeter Transportation Coalition. Clean Air Campaign recognized Cox with a PACE Large Business Award in 2006 and a PACE Innovator Award for a Green Fleet in 2008, according to the company.
Additional transportation options for employees also help reduce the company’s carbon footprint and costs. The company utilizes a shuttle system that transports employees to a public transit station (including MARTA). Cox also provides a motor pool via a Borrow-A-Hybrid program. Vehicles branded with “Cox Conserves” are available to employees who take alternative forms of transportation. Employees can check out the cars if they need to attend an off-site meeting, for example. The company also provides a guaranteed ride home if an emergency occurs to employees who take public transportation.
Re-posted from Automotive Fleet Magazine, April 26th
For more information on how Lynx Telematics, an OEM located in Cincinnati, Ohio can help your fleet become more operationally efficient or custom design a solution to meet your fleet management needs, contact Vincent Rush at (866) 314-0461
LynxTelematics is an OEM that controls design, engineering, firmware, software development, IT support and manufacturing processes of our product, allowing us to produce the highest quality product in our industry, while offering our customers competitive pricing.
As your partner, we provide ongoing training and support to insure that the product is properly sold to the end user, maximizing the re-sellers profitability.
As one of the pioneers in telematics technologies, Lynx Telematics provides our clients with powerful end-to-end vehicle telematics tools. Our technology offers a real solution that delivers safety, saves money and provides an unprecedented level of peace of mind to our customers.
Our product, LynxSafe, is the newest and most advanced in-vehicle communication system currently on the market. It combines GPS/satellite and GSM cellular technology to provide users and family members with immediate access to real-time information delivered directly via any internet enabled device including I Phone and Android smart phones.
All of our devices benefit from the innovation of U-Blox technology and a 3D Accelerometer, providing the industry’s most accurate pin point locating technology to within a 3 ft. radius.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Telematics Technology Proves Driver Safety and Fleet Savings Go Hand-in-Hand
Fleet Owners Cut Costs With Driving Habits
SALT LAKE CITY, UT, Apr 12, 2012 (WIRED MARKET ONLINE) – Lynx Telematics Technology Solutions Inc., a global telematics company centered on fleet management and driver safety solutions, is proving a direct correlation exists between driver habits and fleet operational cost savings. With Lynx Telematics Go5 -- the most comprehensive solution designed to improve driver safety, fleet management and compliance -- fleet owners are able to increase fuel efficiency on average by 20 percent, reduce maintenance costs by 20 percent and avoid costly penalties and fines.
"Fleet owners from all over the globe have turned to Lynx for a fleet management solution that will not only save lives, but improve their bottom line as well," said David Holland, Lynx VP. "With data collected from tens-of-thousands of vehicles using our technology for the past several years, we have proven to dramatically improve driving behavior, leading to fewer crashes, better fuel economy and safer, more productive drivers."
AAA reports that accident costs amount to over 164 billion dollars per year. To avoid incurring collision costs, Lynx Telematics offers the only solution that provides real-time in-cab verbal alerts to drivers when speeding, idling, driving aggressively or not wearing a seat belt. By mentoring drivers into developing safer driving habits, fleet managers can expect a reduction in speeding and aggressive driving of more than 86 percent, leading to greater fuel efficiency and significantly lower rate of crashes.
"While working for 34 years at one of the largest mining companies in the world, we achieved a 77 percent reduction in driver incidents in one year after installing telematic technology across our fleets," said Bruce Huber, newly named Vice President of Safety. "By improving driver behavior, we were not only able to protect the lives of our drivers, but save money on fuel and maintenance costs as well."
With Lynx Telematics, fleet managers can also monitor fleet vehicles and identify areas to reduce operational costs. Through satellite and cellular based tracking, managers can monitor trips taken and vehicle MPG, ultimately eliminating unauthorized trips and improving company productivity.
About Lynx Telematics is a Cincinnati based company centered on telematics, fleet solutions and driving safety. Its breakthrough driving safety solutions are designed to safeguard lives, save money and protect the environment. LynxSafe technology dramatically improves driver behavior and has been documented to reduce accidents by more than 80 percent. For more information, please visit http://www.lynxtelematics.com
For further information, contact Vincent Rush at (513) 965-6318 or at vrush@lynxtelematics.com
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Reasons That Fleet Telematics Projects Fail
11 Reasons Telematics Projects Fail
What’s in a name? Maybe everything, if from the name, employees decide what a project is and how it will affect them. Every project that a company invests time and resources into gets broad organizational exposure. You hear the hallway grumbling about “this or that project” that the company has underway. The name of the project can have serious impacts on what the organization thinks the project is and how it will affect employees (and management) personally. Let’s be clear – GPS stands for Global Positioning System and is a technology component that is becoming a standard in everything from vehicles to mobile devices. Like a clock on a microwave, or on a coffee maker or DVD player – GPS is simply an input into adding location information to the things that we value. Imagine if your company embarked on an extensive upgrade to your information technology infrastructure to benefit employees and customers – and named the project “The CPU” project. Pick a project name that creates excitement for your company and meaningfully represents the results that you are seeking everyone to participate in achieving. The “Driving Excellence Project”, “Driving Performance and Safety Program” or the “Drive Green Initiative” – for example.
Ambiguous Project Requirements and Goals
Take control of the project. Assign a project manager who collaborates directly with key departmental stakeholders from Risk & Safety, Operations, Human Resources, Fleet Management, and Finance to define specific detailed project requirements that have tangible, measurable, ROI. While this seems obvious, many companies will skip this stage and go right to applying a solution to jump start a project. In-vehicle technology solution providers are constantly soliciting their services to companies with fleet vehicles. This is not a commodity market and not all solutions are equal. The impacts to your employees, culture, and financial return vary significantly from supplier to supplier. Don’t assume requirements (such as project controls, management dashboards, application functionality, data, enterprise integration, measurements, policy, and workflow) are met. ‘Telematics’ and other similar projects tend to fail and the companies usually encounter over spending, project restarts, rework, and/or unmet expectations. Many of you reading this – have a “trash heap” of in-vehicle technology past projects.
The Project Starts with “A Couple Free Devices”
Frequently the technology vendor will show up and say “how about we set you up with a few free boxes?” Sounds great, right? Maybe not. While it may be attractive from a project startup cost standpoint – it’s potentially the start of a project that goes nowhere. Right from the start this approach focuses on “the device” not on the people, process, and measurable results. If the goal of the initiative is to improve the driving culture – how are we going to do that on a couple drivers with a couple free boxes? What will these drivers think of their supervisors? Why were they singled out? How is does this initiative support the organizational goals for the fiscal year? Generally, this approach is more about the supplier getting in your door, then it is about your likelihood of sustainable organizational and financial results from an initiative.
Lack of Executive Support
Organizations focus, and apply resources, to approved projects that are based on solving defined problems and providing measurable results. Executive sponsors champion, and key stakeholders rally behind, initiatives that have broad organizational visibility and resourcing approvals. Your “Driving Performance and Safety” initiative should have a highly visible executive sponsor, the goals/results of the initiative should foot to a fiscal year corporate objective (like “saving 10% of our fuel expenditure, reducing the frequency and severity of crashes and risk by 40%, and eliminating CO2 emissions for a greener planet”). Your executive sponsor and stakeholders can add weight and momentum to a project that is tied to corporate goals.
Large Changes to Project Requirements and Scope
Beware of the “Driver Performance” initiative that turns into the “Vehicle Maintenance” project. The reward of having a robust requirements list and involvement of stakeholders comes at the risk of your project core ROI being hijacked. It also runs the risk of requirements becoming so large and broad that the technology is unavailable to satisfy – so the project goes nowhere waiting endlessly for the all inclusive technology that may someday become available. Meanwhile, real value – the largest ROI, potentially – is left languishing in hope of future technical advances. The most prevalent of this example is projects that start from the premise of providing ROI based on fuel and risk savings through driver feedback and coaching that turn into initiatives that require predictive maintenance based on diagnostic fault code data. There are many initiatives that have been derailed as the issues of vehicle data standards across year/makes/models, integration of diagnostic data with in-sourced (or outsourced) maintenance services, and OEM warranty impacts – confuse the initiative and grind otherwise successful projects to a halt. Years of lost savings from fuel and risk reductions alone are wasted at the expense of solving the complexities of the motor company products and data.
WIFM – “What’s In It For Me?” All participants in the initiative need to have the WIFM question answered. It’s unfair to ask employees to participate in a work changing process with no clear understanding of the benefit. “GPS projects” that are seen as data collection initiatives to track employees – communicates that the organization thinks their employees are stealing (time) from them and that they are lazy and should be working harder. It may also communicate that supervisors are inefficient in how they schedule and manage resources. “Video camera projects” that are seen as demeaning/spying technology is not going to be widely received with approval by the employee base. The extra burden on supervisors who will have to police these videos may not be received well. What is the message you are trying to communicate to the employees and supervisors? What does the initiative (and technology) say about the employee/employer relationship? If you have a corporate goal to “be the best place to work” how is the initiative supporting that goal? What are impacts to hiring and retention? How is the initiative supporting the employee goals for each fiscal year? Answer WIFM for each participant in the initiative and you will be much more likely to achieve success, and organizational support.
You Did Not Lead With a Positive Launch
This will come as no surprise – people are resistant to change. Change, regardless of the end-result, goes through the SARA process (Shock, Anger, Resistance, and Acceptance). Any change in corporate process or policy will be subject to the SARA rule. Why would this initiative be different? Can you imagine that sticking a GPS/Black Box/Video camera into the employee’s “office” (the vehicle) is going to be seen in anyway positive – if the imitative does not clearly have a benefit to them and isn’t attached to a positive consequence from the beginning? There are several ways that this can be accomplished. Starting with integration to existing employee benefit programs, the construct of new incentive programs, individual and team competitions. What is clear is that employees want the autonomy to do their jobs well. They want tools that they can use to measure themselves against the corporate policies and goals BEFORE supervisor intervention. The best employees will compete to continue to be the best. Lesser employees want the chance to be the best. Self-direction and autonomy are the keys to support both of these employee types. How is your in-vehicle project providing the employee tools and technology to achieve self-direction and autonomy, before supervisor intervention?
Measurement and Metrics
Beware the project that introduces financial or reporting metrics that are not leveraging/interfacing/enhancing as much as possible existing financial/budget reporting. For example if the fleet fuel budget is currently reported to the CFO, and the project expects to demonstrate fuel savings, the existing measurement/reporting process that finance uses needs to show demonstrable positive change. Introducing a new measurement, disconnected from how fleet expenditures are captured and report today, will be difficult for finance to support as demonstrable change. Fuel consumption data and existing MPG reporting show be examined and subsequently integrated with and enhanced to drive accuracy – as opposed to creating a new MPG or consumption reporting system. This holds for risk management, crash management, and fleet management (vehicle lifecycle costs).
Unrealistic Timelines and Deadlines
When considering the project goals, metrics and measurements – make sure the business cycle supports the expected change. For example if through high performance driving we expect to replace fewer tires and have fewer brake maintenance transactions (or other routine or catastrophic transactions) a complete maintenance lifecycle against control data needs to be evaluated – and this particular metric may take a year, or longer, depending on year make an model. Installation of technology needs to be considered in the project timeline. The upfront design of the program needs sufficient time before the installation project begins.
Insufficient resources
And finally, given steps 1-9, it should be apparent that adequate resources from all participants need to be planned for. The one resource that is critical and is sometimes not included is the drivers. A representative driver, a driver committee, the driver union, needs to be a critical participant in the process. Driver buy-in to the program, the benefits, will be a critical success factor.
Price vs. Value Choice
Chances are that you looked at several Telematics companies when considering choosing a solution. Many of the companies had solutions that when properly implemented, you saw the value that they could bring to your company. The main problem was that your company chose a solution based on PRICE and not COST, from a non-local company that offered cheaper monitoring or slightly cheaper hardware. In telematics and the companies that represent solutions, you definitely get what you pay for. If your goal as a company is to gain long term benefit from your investment into the technology, when possible, choose a local company that can work closely with you to help you grow and learn how to gain the most profitable ROI from your telematics project. It’s one thing to invest into the technology; it’s another to understand how to really benefit from it.
For more information, contact Vincent Rush of Lynx Telematics at (866) 314-0461
For more information on how Lynx Telematics, an OEM located in Cincinnati, Ohio can help your fleet become more operationally efficient or custom design a solution to meet your fleet management needs, contact Vincent Rush at (866) 314-0461
LynxTelematics is an OEM that controls design, engineering, firmware, software development, IT support and manufacturing processes of our product, allowing us to produce the highest quality product in our industry, while offering our customers competitive pricing.
As your partner, we provide ongoing training and support to insure that the product is properly sold to the end user, maximizing the re-sellers profitability.
As one of the pioneers in telematics technologies, Lynx Telematics provides our clients with powerful end-to-end vehicle telematics tools. Our technology offers a real solution that delivers safety, saves money and provides an unprecedented level of peace of mind to our customers.
Our product, LynxSafe, is the newest and most advanced in-vehicle communication system currently on the market. It combines GPS/satellite and GSM cellular technology to provide users and family members with immediate access to real-time information delivered directly via any internet enabled device including I Phone and Android smart phones.
All of our devices benefit from the innovation of U-Blox technology and a 3D Accelerometer, providing the industry’s most accurate pin point locating technology to within a 3 ft. radius.
Steps 1-10 originally written and posted by David Colman, Senior Vice President of Global Business Development for Green Road Tech.
Steps 1-10 originally written and posted by David Colman, Senior Vice President of Global Business Development for Green Road Tech.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Telematics: Not Just for Personal Anymore
While the use of telematics-based insurance to date has primarily been seen in monitoring personal-vehicle use, insurers are increasingly relying on the underwriting tool in the commercial-fleet and trucking industries.
“If I’m doing a risk assessment for an insurance company, a lot of underwriters are looking for some kind of refined [global positioning system],” says Beth Lowrey, senior associate for Mercury Associates Inc.—a Washington D.C.-based management consulting firm for large fleets.
Insurance players on the commercial side are adopting programs to tap into the wealth of knowledge a telematics system can deliver—and initial data looks very promising for loss ratios, sources say.
“We’ve seen very good improvement in frequency and severity,” says Scott Stevens, vice president of captive and specialty programs at The Hartford, which launched its FleetAheadprogram more than two years ago.
Through a partnership with a telematics service provider (all insurers in this space partner with a provider instead of developing its own device, as in the personal auto insurance market), he adds, the Hartford’s loss-control staff can work with clients to improve loss costs and exposures.
Other insurers are in the process of doing the same. “We are there to work with management in order to tune their ability to improve driver performance,” says Chris Hayes, risk-control director of transportation services from Travelers, which early this year began IntelliDrive Fleet Safety Solutions for commercial lines.
Travelers partners with several telematics providers for the actual numbers. “We do not have any data feed,” explains Beth Tirone, Travelers’ senior director for commercial auto product development. “This is strictly providing services from a risk-control perspective.”
Liberty Mutual, too, is finding value in telematics. The carrier unveiled its Onboard Advisorloss-prevention and risk-management services exclusively through Liberty Mutual Agency Corporation regional companies in 2010 to small and medium-sized fleets. The insurer uses statistics from its approved telematics partners to create a score used for pricing at the time of renewal.
Onboard Advisor Program Manager Chris Carver says Liberty Mutual in the past six months has been contacted by several telematics providers wishing to partner up.
“The industry is growing fast,” he says. “It’s a great opportunity for businesses that now starting to grow [after the economic downturn]. Owners can stay in control of their fleet and control costs.”
After all, telematics is not a one-way street of benefits to the insurer. The insured can improve safety, fuel use, customer satisfaction and prevent or limit losses from theft.
There is enough data—or at least sufficient anecdotal evidence—to support the technology investment, which is decreasing as competition increases. Systems can also be leased.
“If you use it and use it right, [you’ll benefit],” Lowrey says. “You’ll see it in your bottom line. And you’ll see it in your insurance premiums.”
The applications are numerous. Fleet owners acting as their own risk managers can track drivers’ locations, monitor a driver’s habits like hard-braking and accelerating, and reduce fuel consumption by looking at the data to notice trends such as the impact of idling, or the use of one route versus another. Carver says owners can cut down on “unnecessary wear-and-tear on their fleet.”
Owners have also reported a reduction in brake-pads costs, Stevens adds, because programs centered on telematics “create better, more safety-conscious drivers.”
The value for insurers extends beyond potential reductions in loss-cost trends and narrowing poor risks. Telematics may also help preserve the exposure base. By cutting down on costs for its insureds, businesses can remain profitable.
For the insurer, information can be provided by some systems to give a much more accurate view of an accident. Was the traffic light green or red? How fast was the driver going?
Insurers say information yielded from telematics systems can also help cut down on fraud. Using data on such critical factors as speed, claims professionals can determine whether an alleged injury was in fact possible.
The industry appears to have assuaged the fear of Big Brother. Owners and operators are taking to the idea, and insurers with telematics-based programs are sticking by buyers’ sides to assist in rolling out systems and fostering an environment of constant improvement rather than conveying a dark cloud of constant criticism.
“This doesn’t work if management isn’t fully engaged,” says Hayes. “We’re looking to foster owners as coaches while we get them comfortable with the idea and our involvement.”
More insurers relying on data-gathering tools in the commercial-fleet, trucking industries
Lowrey, who also owns a risk-management and consulting service for small and medium fleets, says drivers’ unions have voiced concerns as telematics gain popularity, but the fact is, “Owners are looking at performance anyway,” implying that drivers would still be watched closely regardless of the new technology.
Fleet owners typically pitch the idea to drivers by focusing on safety and job security.
“’If you get hijacked, we want to know—we want to know where to look for you,’” Lowrey says owners will say to drivers. “But the majority of drivers have been around and they don’t worry about it, so long as it doesn’t seem like you’re nitpicking them to death.”
Industry-wide, telematics usage remains in its infancy. Solid favorable loss-cost trends for the industry may not be readily available and use may be limited to big insurance brands but, according to a report by research and consulting firm Celent, telematics use is growing and “not going away any time soon.”
Critics also say telematics could “cannibalize” books of business, based on the idea that policies could be written at lower premiums based on more hard data. Yet that same data would also help better calculate risks, Celent adds, noting it “would be better to cannibalize one’s own book than watch someone else do it.”
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