A recent record-breaking $900 million dollar nuclear verdict has set a new precedent for what fleets can face as a consequence of distracted driving and marks a rise in insurance premiums. Combined with potential new federal safety regulations, it is important now more than ever for fleet safety managers to take proactive steps to install safeguards against the rising costs of mobile device addiction.
The Motion Intelligence distracted driving solution for fleets offers a way for fleets to intervene in habitual and dangerous phone-reliant behavior and prevent distracted driving — without negating the innovative role of technology in our world. The Motion Intelligence Evvy App can restrict access to distracting apps in accordance with fleet safety policies while allowing access to hands-free bluetooth calling, approved apps, and navigation. Our solution can prevent drivers from dangerous driving behavior and keep them compliant with fleet cell phone policy while allowing them to stay connected.
While fleet cell phone policies are necessary and options like in-cab cameras can be a good step in the right direction, only a solution that intervenes and prevents dangerous driving behavior and incentivizes safe driving can effectively prevent nuclear verdicts. Defining expectations of driver behavior on the job is crucial in fostering a safe driving culture. However, instating policies alone isn’t an effective deterrent because distracted driving is attributed, at its root, to technology addiction.
Technology Addiction Must Be Addressed to Prevent Distracted Driving and Avoid Nuclear Verdicts
Recent studies have shown that we reach for our devices an average of 63 times a day, which means our brain is hardwired to feel a rush of dopamine when we receive a “ping” from a text or social media “like.” This dopamine response makes it hard for us to deny ourselves checking our devices, including while behind the wheel. (Just think about the last time you were at a stoplight and got a ping from an incoming text — did you look?) This proven fact is a major reason distracted driving accidents continue to grow each year, and is why the Motion Intelligence solution is proactive and reinforces safe driving behaviors.
Technology plays a crucial role in our development as a society, and a sustainable distracted driving solution cannot negate that. Drivers depend on their cell phones for more than a dopamine rush: Drivers on the road need to stay connected. Policies that eliminate all phone calls, podcasts and navigation apps can feel too restricting and pose a safety risk. The Evvy App allows drivers to remain connected behind the wheel, which can also prevent punitive responses to behavioral addiction and cell phone policy infractions that too often result in terminations, high driver turnover, increased recruiting and training costs, and lost productivity. For example, about 50% of Motion Intelligence customers had in-cab cameras before reaching out for an additional solution, because they still need a more preventative option made possible by our technology. In-cab cameras are terrific at recording events in the cab, including just before an accident or distracted-driving event. However, cameras can only tell fleet managers what happened—they do not prevent distracted-driving accidents caused by drivers’ unsafe use of their mobile devices while behind the wheel. A better goal is to implement tools to move your fleet from responsive — as with enforcing a policy and watching through cameras — to preventative.
And, with our Evvy Scoring and Rewards Program, you can move from preventive to predictive. The program combines our innovative technology with a new scoring system that scores a driver’s performance. This new scoring system provides timely actionable feedback that can be incentivized with rewards, which is an approach that has been shown to reduce distracted driving by up to 39% in just 30 days. The Evvy Scoring and Rewards Program takes a strengths-based approach to driver behavior by incentivizing safe driving, maintaining driver retention, and nurturing safe driving behavior. Paired with your company’s existing policies, our innovative solution can effectively stop the technology addiction cycle and train drivers on how best to engage safely with technology while behind the wheel.
Want to learn more about the Motion Intelligence solution? Check out our latest white paper, “Answering Fleet Questions: About Preventing Distracted Driving and Safe-Driving Apps,” and learn why our groundbreaking technology is right for your fleet!
