Monitoring driver behavior to prevent accidents

Distracted driving is a prevalent problem in Washington and all over the nation. As technology has grown and time has passed, today’s drivers have significantly more to be distracted by than in times past. The original automobiles required vigilance to operate and often required the use of both hands. However, many cars and even large trucks have become much more efficient and thus opened the window to people to be tempted to do other things while driving.

Distractions for truckers, in particular, can range from texting and eating to being fatigued or overexerted after working long hours. New technology aims to reduce the number of accidents resulting from a truck driver being distracted. Video-based safety programs are essentially a monitoring program that observes a driver’s activity while traveling to identify lapses in concentration resulting from distractions. Monitoring a driver’s behavior can bring awareness to the types of distractions they may encounter and provide visuals that can be used to educate other drivers on the importance of responsible driving.

Experts suggest that the data that can be pulled from the video-based safety programs be compiled and documented to develop benchmarks and supportive materials for subsequent driver training. They say that despite the size of a company’s fleet, having data to draw upon can help them focus their training on the areas that have proven to be more of a problem in the past.

If people have been injured in an accident with a commercial vehicle, they may wish to contact an attorney to help them work toward getting compensation for their injuries. With the knowledge and experience of a Seattle car accident attorney, they may be more efficient and successful at achieving the outcome they hope for.

Source: Freight Waves, “Video-based safety programs key to reducing distracted driving accidents,” Vishnu Rajamanickam, May 16, 2019