Posted by Adam Redling
Lytx, a San Diego provider of video telematics, analytics, productivity and safety solutions for commercial and public sector fleets, shared new data Sept. 4 showing driving speeds most associated with collisions or near collisions.
Lytx examined driving data from January to June 2019 across its entire client database of public and private sector fleets. Its insights are derived from over 100 billion miles of driving data from more than 1 million drivers.
According to its data:
- Twenty percent of recorded collisions and 12 percent of recorded near collisions in commercial fleets occur at speeds below 5 mph.
- On average, commercial drivers are involved in collisions 3.8 times more often at speeds below 5 mph than at any speed between 6 and 80 mph.
- On average, there are twice as many near collisions at speeds below 5 mph than at any speed between 6 and 80 mph.
According to the company, these findings align with figures from the National Safety Council that indicate more than 50,000 collisions occur in parking lots and garage structures annually—resulting in 500 or more fatalities and over 60,000 injuries.
“The prevalence of collisions at lower speeds highlights how important it is for drivers to be vigilant about safety from the moment they first turn on the ignition,” Del Lisk, vice president of safety services at Lytx, says. “It is equally vital for fleet managers to know when their drivers are at the greatest risk of being involved in a collision, whether it’s while driving at parking lot speeds or on the highway. The ability to capture such low-speed or stand-still incidents is one of the features that sets Lytx apart.”
Lytx’s data also showed the three top risky behaviors observed in events that occur under 5 mph. Improper mirror use was the top associated risky behavior, followed by the driver being unbelted, and handheld cellphone use. Lytx recently revealed that risky behaviors behind the wheel tend to cluster, meaning drivers who engage in one potentially risky behavior are often found engaging in others at the same time.
“Fleet managers must take a proactive approach to curbing risky behaviors behind the wheel to help reduce collisions at any speed,” Lisk says. “Many times, drivers become complacent and less vigilant when they are operating at a slow speed—they can pick up their phone or forget to check their mirrors. We’ve also found that if a driver is operating a vehicle while unbelted, they tend to be more careless or will engage in other potentially risky distractions, such as eating, drinking, smoking or using another device, intensifying the need for coaching and behavior change.”
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