GreenRoad, a leader in driver performance and safety management has released details about UK fleet driving behaviour revealing that the most common risky manoeuvre is harsh braking; January is the most dangerous month and 11 pm is the most dangerous time to drive.
By analysing driver performance data GreenRoad discovered that HGV truck drivers are the safest followed by cars, vans and buses. By contrast, in North American fleets, cars are operated more safely than trucks.
The first annual GreenRoad Worldwide Fleet Driver Performance Benchmark Report has aggregated data representing the driving behaviour of 85,000 fleet drivers who logged over 7.4 billion miles in 2011 across North America and UK.
The report analysis reveals that:
• Harsh braking is the most common risky behaviour at 43%
• Sharp cornering is a close second at 39%
• Lane handling is at 8%
• Harsh acceleration is at 8%
• Speeding is just 2%.
By contrast, in North America, speeding is the most dominant unsafe driving behaviour.
The report also shows that in the UK, December is the safest fleet driving month, and January the riskiest month, while in North America, there is little variation from month to month. Other insights revealed in the report include safest time of day to drive in both UK and North America is from 2 to 5 am. In the UK, 11pm to midnight is the riskiest time on the road while in North America it is 11pm to 1am.
Overall, in 2011, drivers continued to improve their driving performance with the GreenRoad worldwide average Safety Score dropped by 24%. North American fleet drivers tend to be safer than their UK counterparts. This is in part due to the different make up of fleets. In addition, UK fleet routes are predominately urban environments with roundabouts and other road features that require precise cornering ability.
In North American fleets tend to drive in a more mixed environment with more highways and freeways resulting in a tendency for fleet drivers to speed in the U.S.
The GreenRoad Safety Score is automatically calculated by sophisticated in-vehicle technology that captures and tabulates risky or fuel inefficient driving events; the lower the Safety Score, the safer the driver. Driving is measured across five major categories: braking, acceleration, corner handling, lane handling and speeding.
“Through this data we begin to more clearly understand the factors impacting fleet safety,” commented Jim Heeger, chief executive of GreenRoad. “This is critical to reach the goal that we all share: delivering the best drivers on the road—safe, fuel-efficient and green. Our data will become richer as we continue to expand the report parameters and geographies.”
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