In South Africa, human factors are responsible for the vast majority of road accidents, with estimates indicating that 80% of road fatalities result from human error. Despite the alarming statistics, there’s a noticeable gap in efforts to shift driver behaviour, raising the question: “If human error is at fault, why aren’t we seeing more proactive initiatives to address it?” South Africa’s high rate of accidents due to human factors highlights the urgent need for innovative solutions to promote safer driving practices.
Deep-seated habits, high-stress environments and the complexity of real-time decision-making on the road make it difficult for drivers to adapt and improve their driving behaviour. This inevitably leads to unsafe roads. Traditional methods of driver training and management often fall short, failing to provide immediate, actionable feedback or address the root causes of unsafe behaviours.
In response to the challenges of transforming driver behaviour and to support global road safety initiatives, Optix has introduced Safe&Sound as an innovative solution, comprising nine integral solutions, designed to cultivate a culture of safety and responsibility among professional drivers.
Safe&Sound facilitates shared attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and practices related to road safety, fostering a collective commitment to preventing accidents and saving lives.
Global & national imperatives to road safety
Aligning with global and national road safety imperatives, our solutions directly support two of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are focused on improving road safety:
- Goal 3.6: Aiming to reduce road injuries and deaths.
- Goal 11.2: Focusing on affordable and sustainable safe transport systems.
The United Nations’ SDGs comprise 17 goals with 169 targets, which all UN Member States have committed to achieving by 2030. This global commitment drives numerous initiatives aimed at meeting specific targets related to road safety. Nationally, South Africa has adopted various strategic initiatives that translate these global goals into actionable plans to improve road safety and meet the set targets.
“Our mission with Safe&Sound is to create a safer driving culture in South Africa. By equipping companies with tools to monitor and improve driver behaviour, we believe we can drastically reduce the number of road accidents caused by human error,” said Safe&Sound Executive, Inge-Marie Hilligan.
The successful implementation of Safe&Sound, combined with Optix’s in-cab solutions in nearly every driver’s cabin across South Africa would significantly enhance road safety. This dual approach aims to make our roads safer for all users, ultimately achieving the goal of bringing everyone safely home. At the heart of Optix’s mission is the commitment to saving lives, a dedication that will continue to drive all of our efforts.
Benefits for Companies:
- Reduced Accidents and Reduction in Costs: By addressing driver errors, companies can significantly reduce accidents, vehicle damage, and associated costs.
- Improved Compliance: Safe&Sound assists companies to comply with road safety regulations and standards.
- Enhanced Reputation: Companies that prioritise safety gain a positive reputation among clients, partners, and the public.
- High-Risk Behaviour Management: The ability to manage high-risk behaviours.
Safe&Sound’s first two commercialised solutions are Recruit Me and Empower Me. These advanced tools offer comprehensive monitoring and support for commercial use, integrating state-of-the-art technology to enhance driver behaviour and providing solutions to employers, giving them peace of mind when hiring professional drivers.
New Solution Sets: Recruit Me and Empower Me
- Recruit Me: After 18 months of development, Recruit Me stands as an innovative solution specifically designed to assist with the recruitment of drivers. This performance-predictive model evaluates various key aspects of driver performance that traditional interviews might overlook.
Ensuring that the right driver is in the driver’s seat is the first step toward making roads safer for everyone. Through its detailed evaluations, Recruit Me enables recruiters to make well-informed decisions about advancing candidates in the hiring process, ensuring only the best suited drivers are selected. Recruit Me also helps candidates identify roles that align with their skills and strengths, ensuring they are placed in positions where they can thrive and succeed, avoiding the pitfalls of choosing a job that may not be the right fit for them. This ensures long-term job satisfaction and performance.
- Empower Me: Unlike traditional monitoring systems, Safe&Sound’s Empower Me puts the power of behaviour change directly into the drivers’ hands allowing users to self-coach, self-train and self-correct their behaviour to become better drivers. Empower Me integrates seamlessly with Optix’s DriveCam, an advanced in-cab camera system that provides a comprehensive view of driving actions, including distractions, fatigue and adherence to traffic rules. This solution has been instrumental in enhancing driving skills through personalised feedback and training modules, promoting safer driving practices and reducing accident risks. Over the last 12 months, reduction in risky driver behaviours of up to 43% and a reduction in the frequency of risky driver behaviours of 36% has been observed by users.
An example, if a driver is not wearing their seatbelt or uses a cellphone while driving, the solution provides timely notifications and video evidence of the incident and further allows the driver to self-train around the identified behaviour to prevent future infractions.
Hilligan concluded: “Our commitment to our customers does not end once they purchase these solutions. We have a social researcher who goes out into the field to interview drivers once they have used Empower Me for a period of time. This ensures our solutions remain relevant and that we constantly optimise their impact.”
Safe&Sound invites companies across South Africa to embrace this transformative technology and join us in our mission to revolutionise road safety. Together, we can tackle the root causes of accidents, foster a commitment to safer driving practices and ultimately ensure that every journey ends safely home.
For further information please visit www.optix.co/safeandsound
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