AS the problems with smart motorways show, it is improved driving standards that ultimately will improve road safety, not technology, says RED Driver Risk Management CEO Seb Goldin.
While technology has an important role to play in reducing crashes, injuries and death, the problems encountered with smart motorways vividly illustrate that we must not solely rely on technology to improve road safety.
Undoubtedly road and in-car safety technology is a good thing, and it has saved motorists’ lives, but it is only part of the solution, and should not be entirely relied upon. These systems must go hand-in-hand with better driving standards and a recognition that roads are often chaotic, littered with unforeseen events, and unexpected consequences.
At RED Driver Risk Management, we work on the principle that technology is a fantastic safety net, but the driver should be sufficiently well-trained in the first place so they don’t get into situations where they rely on in-car or on-road systems to rescue them.
That’s because every driver reacts differently to an unexpected situation, but through training you can give them the tools to keep each of them safe. Technology doesn’t have that nuance. So, while autonomous braking might reduce the severity of an impact, for example, good training can teach the driver to see an incident forming and know how avoid it, or even prevent it happening at all.
These ‘soft skills’ are the ones that help drivers avoid turning an incident into a major, life-threatening accident. By all means tick every box on the safety options list of a vehicle, embrace products such as telematics, and on-road systems that control traffic flow and speed, but do not assume technology is a panacea for road safety.
Good training can
teach the driver to see
an incident forming
and know how avoid
it, or even prevent
it happening at all
If a driver has a mechanical problem with their vehicle on a smart motorway and gets stuck in a lane, the technology might well close that lane and slow traffic down. And the vehicle has various crash protection systems that might limit an impact should one then occur.
But actually, the issue with safety on smart motorways is often a human one: drivers not following overhead instructions, not paying attention or getting stranded in lanes.
Through training you can help drivers having a problem to be more skilled and knowledgeable. They might be able to spot a mechanical issue starting to happen at an earlier stage, and they have better awareness of the situation around them, buying precious time to move safely across lanes to a refuge point before they become immobile. And they know what to do next, in terms of keeping themselves safe when stopped.
But also you make the general driving community better through training, and so it’s not your driver who crashes into a stranded vehicle because they are racing up a closed lane, or not concentrating, or unable to anticipate what’s happening around them.
As long as there are humans in a vehicle, they are the most important factor in improving road safety.”
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
Why not join the conversation on SME fleets – visit our LinkedIn SME Fleet Discussion page
