Keeping Roads Safe: Insurer Offers a Suite of Technology Add-ons

Fleet Management Systems (FMS) are commonly used today for commercial vehicles. They are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. and Europe; a new study predicts there will be 6.4 million systems in place in the region by 2017. In-vehicle tracking devices (handling GPS, route planning and navigation, speed information and more) give companies knowledge of the whereabouts of their drivers. An FMS is also used as a control module for preventive and repair maintenance information; businesses can have remote access to data and run checks on the vehicles’ internal systems to identify problems or pieces of equipment that is due for service. The system onboard is normally intuitive and efficient; data, including transmission of positional updates or tracking and managing of the activities, is done via the Iridium Satellite (News - Alert) network. FMS are designed to keep vehicles running smoothly and efficiently, check the position of all vehicles so that a company can check productivity in operations, and increase the overall safety of drivers.

FMSs are normally designed with next-generation safety technology, and they give access to insights into the vehicle’s use, the driver’s on-road behavior with real-time risk and safety reporting, as in the Geotab’s versatile FMS solution. Managers can pick up interactive in-vehicle alerts via satellite communication and notify drivers of unsafe practices to correct their driving behavior.

In an effort to improve fleet driver behavior, as told in a recent PYMNTS.com post, “ProSight Specialty Insurance announced that it is offering a suite of technology from SmartDrive to many of its commercial vehicle customers.” On June 18, as per an Insurance & Technology story, the suite is being offered to ProSight’s policyholders free of charge. This customer-focused insurance solution can help fleet owners and safety managers reduce risks from potential accidents and allow them to coach their drivers and correct unsafe behaviors, as needed.

SmartDrive focuses on innovations for driver safety and delivers solutions (video-based data from the road with insurance package) that make it easy for fleet managers to know what actually happens on the road through an easy-to-use managed service delivery platform; simply by installing cameras in the vehicles and reviewing events they can promptly respond to and take control of any situation.

Such a suite of technology, comprised of an on-board vehicle camera that provide back-end analytics (collection of data) and is able to record and evaluate on-the-road incidents, can help bring drivers back to base safely and operate more efficiently.

Matt Rogers, director of partnerships and services for the carrier, explained that SmartDrive Systems is practical “when a risky event is identified, the system is designed to capture 10 seconds before and after the incident. Fleet managers then coach drivers on the riskiest events…”

He adds that the focus of the system is driver coaching and monitoring, which “can help customers reduce their deductible and maintenance costs.” He also says that such a technology investment can pay off by lowering claims significantly. SmartDrive CEO Steve Mitgang also believes that the system can benefit the insurer by having fewer claims filed. 


Edited by Rory J. Thompson