New Study Claims Americans Feel Unsafe While Driving Near Commercial Trucks
According to a new study on trucking fleet safety, many Americans “feel greatly impacted by unsafe fleet driving behaviors.”
The study was conducted by Solera Holding LLC, a vehicle lifecycle management company. Solera surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults in August 2022 “to uncover insights on the perceptions around safety in the fleet industry” according to a press release.
“The industry has come a long way in improving driver safety standards, and it’s important that we continue on this journey collectively – especially as there are public perceptions to overcome,” said Michal Yariv, vice president and general manager of Strategic Initiatives at Solera. “First and foremost, driver safety needs to be a top priority for fleet managers to ensure drivers can do their job and get home safely at the end of the day, and video technology with built-in driver coaching is the key to achieving optimum safety.”
Majority of Americans Feel Unsafe
“it’s clear that fleet safety affects almost everyone,” according to Solera officials, with 88% of Americans noting they have driven next to or near a commercial truck driver in the past year. More than half of those who responded (approx. 56%) said they’ve felt unsafe driving near a commercial truck driver in this timeframe, with 64% saying they have witnessed unsafe driving behaviors in commercial truck drivers.
“Video-based safety and artificial intelligence technology can help overcome these negative perceptions by identifying distracted driving and coaching drivers out of unsafe behaviors and aggressive driving, a top unsafe behavior witnessed by respondents (37%), ultimately helping to prevent the risk of accidents,” the press release stated.
Other Concerns
There were other concerns found within the survey:
- Cell phone usage while driving is a concern for respondents. “Almost one-third (31%) say avoiding tech distractions while driving should be the first course of action for commercial truck drivers to become safer on the roads,” the survey noted. “As fleet managers and drivers know, cell phones can be an invaluable tool to map routes, log information and more — but it’s crucial to support hands-free route management and navigation to ensure safer driving.”
- Safety training is perceived to help improve conditions. “The vast majority of respondents (89%) believe commercial truck drivers could benefit from further safety training,” according to the survey. “In addition, two-thirds believe video-based safety systems would have a positive effect on commercial truck drivers’ ability to drive safely.”
- Safety perceptions affect interest in becoming a fleet driver. “Almost half (44%) of respondents think the addition of more safety-based technologies — such as in-cab video, road-facing video and AI driving tools — in commercial fleets would lead to more people wanting to become a commercial truck driver,” according to the survey.
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