Using in-Vehicle Data Monitors to Reduce Risky Driving among Sales Representatives

Abstract

Driving is the riskiest work-related activity in the European Union, including the UK. One promising approach for improving work-related driver safety is through the use of In-Vehicle Data Monitors (IVDM), but the majority of the studies on this topic have substantial methodological short comings or found no significant effect. The present study investigated whether providing feedback, that was formulated according to established guidelines, would result in an improvement in safety behaviours among sales representatives over an 8.5 month period. The results showed that the treatment group engaged in significantly less risky driving behaviours per 100 kms during the intervention period, than during the baseline, while there was no significant difference for the control group. Furthermore, seatbelt use was significantly higher for the treatment group during the intervention period, while the control group demonstrated a significant decrease in seatbelt use in the treatment period, when compared with the baseline.

Keywords:

• Driver safety
• telematics
• in-vehicle data recorders
• in-vehicle data monitors
• randomised controlled trial
• workplace safety

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) for funding this project. The author would also like to thank the organisation in which the research took place for their extremely flexible approach and for their strong scientific orientation. The author also acknowledges the following individuals, without who this project would not have been possible: Maxim Blagoveshenskij, Irina Ashrapova, Yury Visnevsky, Dr. Tetiana Hill, Seemal Asif, Artem Ivin, Alexandra Eroshevich, Rob McAuley, Julia Magonova and Katie Mack.

Disclosure statement

The author has no financial interest in the device evaluated and there are no other conflicts of interest.