Just in time for the Maintenance + Safety issue, Netradyne, a Safety as a Service (SaaS) provider of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing solutions, released its latest safety survey results. The company’s recent survey reveals distracted driving findings from both noncommercial drivers—1,505 in total—and commercial drivers, using data from Netradyne’s commercial carrier customers. The information below highlights the results from the noncommercial drivers, and offers insight into how fleet managers can help their drivers.
Netradyne’s survey respondents for noncommercial drivers ranged from the ages of 18 to 65-plus, both male and female, in all regions of the US. Gez Z made up 14% of the group, whereas Millennials made up 31%, Gen X comprised 24%, Baby Boomers made up 27%, and the Silent Generation made up 3% of the group. Aside from classification questions, noncommercial drivers answered five questions pertaining to distracted driving, with three focusing on a driver’s perception of multitasking behind the wheel.
DISTRACTED DRIVERS
No matter the age, anyone can find themselves driving distracted. Even some of the safest drivers become distracted from time to time. Netradyne asked survey respondents to agree or disagree that respondents would classify themselves as a “multitasking driver” by typically doing something else (such as eating, talking on the phone, looking at email, scrolling, or texting) while behind the wheel. A whopping 47% of respondents said they would agree with the statement. When asked if drivers agree with the statement, “I’m actually a better driver when I’m multitasking,” an unfortunate 22% said they would agree.
What’s keeping drivers distracted, and where should the motoring public and commercial drivers be on the lookout for distracted drivers?
DISTRACTIONS
The survey revealed that the top two distractions for noncommercial drivers were their smartphone (59%) and food/eating (37%). Other distractions included entertainment such as radio and TV (34%), adult passenger (29%), children (28%), and pets (20%). Netradyne also shared that among adults with children, smartphones were still rated higher as a distraction than children (65% versus 60%).
Additionally, another survey question asked if drivers avoided using their phones when driving next to different vehicles. According to the responses, drivers are most likely to avoid using their phone when driving next to a school bus (62%), a bicycle (58%), and a motorcycle (57%). Only 51% of respondents said they would avoid using their phone when driving next to a delivery truck.
WHERE IT HAPPENS
Where does distracted driving take place? According to the survey, noncommercial drivers are most likely to drive distracted when in their own neighborhood (40%). Side streets are the second-highest to see distracted drivers (35%), and respondents said major highways are the third most likely roads where they drive distracted (23%).
FOR THE FLEETS
Now that fleet owners and managers know what their fleet drivers are up against with noncommercial drivers on the road, what can be done to help? It’s been proven that fleets using safety technology improve their driving—which can even help correct mistakes that other motorists make. Using its own customer data, Netradyne crunched the numbers of commercial fleets and found that implementing safety technology pays off.
For example, on average, fleets that use Netradyne’s safety technology see a 96% reduction in distracted driving incidents. Netradyne’s technology can also help to decrease distracted driving. In fact, in just 12 weeks, Netradyne can help reduce driver distraction by 90%. And further, 42% of drivers using Netradyne stopped looking at their cell phones after receiving an in-cab notification from the safety technology.
There is little fleets can do to control the behavior of noncommercial drivers. But fleet managers can ensure the safety of their drivers by training, implementing safety rules, and employing safety technology, such as Netradyne.
Find out more about Netradyne and its safety survey, visit www.netradyne.com.
