State Of The Data Reveals Truck Driving Risk Factors And Behaviour
Lytx®, a provider of video telematics, analytics and safety solutions for commercial and public sector fleets, presented its State of the Data research earlier this week at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition. Based on 100 billion miles of driving data, the presentation focused on truck-driving safety, risk factors and behaviours.
Insights are derived from Lytx’s trucking-industry client database. The company says the data is anonymized, normalized and generalizable to the trucking industry as a whole, given Lytx’s majority market share in video telematics solutions for commercial trucking industry at large.
“With one hundred billion miles of driving data and our proprietary human-review processes, our ability to provide fleets with game-changing insights into their road- and site-based operations is unequaled,” said Brandon Nixon, Chairman and CEO of Lytx. “Our State of the Data presentation highlights behavioural trends and areas of opportunity to help keep truck drivers, cargo and our roadways even safer.”
The data shows 358,359 fewer instances of risky driving between June-August 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. The top three observed driving behaviours by frequency during that same timeframe, along with their relative, correlative collision risk are 1) Driver not wearing seatbelt 2) Late response 3) Following distance.
“The driving behavioural improvements we’re seeing are largely the result of our clients’ strong focus on driver coaching and training,” said Del Lisk, Vice President of Safety Services at Lytx. “Identifying risky driving behaviors and delivering that information in a format that is concise, intuitive and easy for fleets to understand and act on is key.”
Lytx trucking-industry data shows the top five riskiest road segments for North American truck drivers between January and September 2018 were:
Pennsylvania Route 309: Near Vera Cruz Road, Upper Saucon Township, (South of Allentown)
Pennsylvania Route 309: Near W. Emmaus Avenue, Allentown (Southeast of Queen City Municipal Airport)
Pennsylvania Route 181: Near Crooked Hill Road, Susquehanna Township (East of Harrisburg Area Community College)
Tennessee Interstate 40: Near Green Hill Road, Dandridge (East of Knoxville)
Tennessee Interstate 24: Near Belvoir Avenue, Chattanooga (Southwest of Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport)
These five road segments are 172 times more risky on average than the rest of Lytx’s trucking-industry footprint, based on Lytx’s proprietary risk score system. Four out of the five segments are near interchanges and the other is near an exit/on ramp, which are areas of high driver volatility. Rapid changes in driving speed and sudden lane changes to make exits/connections not only lead to more triggered events, but also amplify the risk posed by risky driving behaviours, as these volatile areas necessitate a greater amount of proactive and reactive driving.
Lytx trucking-industry data shows top riskiest days of the week and times of day for North American truck drivers between January and September 2018 were:
Day of the week with most collisions: Wednesday (peak between 2:00 – 4:00 a.m.)
Time of day with most collisions: Overnight (11:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.)
Day of week with most near collisions: Friday
Time of day with most near collisions: Afternoon (1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
Day of week with least collisions: Monday
“There is a distinct difference between collision and near-collision trends,” said Brandos. “Collisions occur more frequently at night. We see those same drivers avoid contact during the afternoon hours, resulting in more near collisions during the day.”
