A recent study from U.K. road safety charity Brake found that driver behavior and distractions are the cause of the majority of road traffic accidents. According to the study, the majority of motorists believe they are safer than, or as safe as, the average driver and are quick to place blame on third parties.

Driver safety technology can play a significant role in preventing accidents and creating a crash-free future for drivers, according to Andy Yeoman, managing director of Trimble (News - Alert) Mobile Resource Management (MRM) in Europe, a leading provider of telematics technology.

With health and safety legislation now placing more responsibility for road safety on employers, technology solutions such as enhanced safety systems with crash-avoidance technology can help reduce accidents due to careless driving.

However, careless drivers and their supervisors still need to be made aware of dangerous habits behind the wheel and take positive steps toward safer driving.

According to Julie Townsend, Brake Campaigns director, “It is all too easy for a driver's attention to be diverted by something like a ringing mobile phone, a roadside accident or another vehicle following too close. It is often these sorts of distractions and the taking of unnecessary risks that is the cause of many serious road accidents.”

Townsend added that measures that help drivers be more aware of their driving behavior will hopefully encourage them to take fewer risks behind the wheel and address their bad habits.

Trimble offers an in-vehicle technology solution named DriverSafety that can immediately alert drivers and their managers when aggressive driving behaviors occur. As a result, drivers now have the ability to immediately mitigate their unsafe driving habits.

DriverSafety features a DriverSafety dashboard that gives fleet managers, supervisors and risk managers an overview of individual driver behaviors. This allows managers to address issues directly with the drivers concerned and give further training if it is needed. The solution also features an in-vehicle warning system that alerts drivers when they need to change their driving behavior.

Yeoman said, “Every crash can cost a business thousands of pounds and obviously even more so if casualties are involved.”

“When you take into account the additional paperwork, the loss of productivity from the vehicle being out of service and damage to the corporate image, the cost rises even further,” Yeoman added. “Telematics technology has already proven to be a tool for saving businesses money and ultimately could be invaluable in moving toward the ideal of a crash-free future.”

Trimble recently announced it has been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA (News - Alert)) Federal Acquisition Service for its fleet management solution. The BPA will be administered by GSA Fleet and gives fleet managers the option to implement Trimble's vehicle monitoring, maintenance, driver safety, and driver identification products and services.

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Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Carrie Schmelkin