Bus Safety Can Be Boosted

Upon the completion of the recent Confederations Cup held in South Africa as a ‘tester’ for next year’s Fifa World Cup Final, the organisations president, Sepp Blatter had high praise for the organisers of the event but had no hesitation in pinpointing his concerns over the country’s ability to effectively shuttle soccer fans from game to game. “This is a big, big challenge,” he said.

While Blatter may have focused his criticisms on public transport infrastructure, one can be sure that he and many other soccer officials, not to mention politicians, also have serious concerns over the safety of buses and taxis used to transport the expected 450 000 visitors to the event.

“Short of detailing bus and taxi accident statistics, South Africa ranks in the world’s top ten as far as public transport-related fatalities are concerned. While time may be short, every measure needs to be taken to ensure improved road safety during 2010 and after,” says Louis Swart, managing director of Drive Report, a local company specialising in driver behaviour improvement.

“The key problem with bus and taxi drivers is that their driving habits are not monitored closely enough, simply because they have no one driving with them to do this and assist in driving skills development,” he adds. “As a result, bad driving habits become part of the driver’s routine making every trip an increasingly risky endeavour.”

Drive Report is the South African agent for DriveCam, an in-vehicle video camera that records erratic driving incidents in the form of 12-second clips which are transmitted to fleet controllers via WiFi, enabling them to implement corrective coaching before major accidents occur.

“The DriveCam event recorder, which links to driver-profiling software, has proven itself the world over to dramatically reduce collisions while enhancing driver skills,” Swart explains. “The camera is not a surveillance tool because it doesn’t record constantly, but by ‘exception’, showing eight seconds before the event occurred and four seconds thereafter, giving a clear account of what actually happened.”

DriveCam is a coaching tool designed to bring the best out of drivers using a synthesis of technology and psychology, adds Swart: “Science has proved that people perform better when they’re being monitored.”

Already in use in thousands of buses and trucks around South Africa, DriveCam is playing a significant role in enhancing road safety in the commercial fleet sector.“Insurance companies have conducted extensive due diligence on the effectiveness of the system to help prevent collisions and are now reducing premiums and providing rebates to fleets fitted with the system,”

Swart says. “While industry embraces the safety advantages DriveCam delivers, it is now time for the public to become aware that they can have access to safer public transport.”

When seen in the context of the value of the vehicle and its human cargo, the price of a DriveCam unit is minuscule. “Our nation has too much to lose by not insisting on enhanced road safety measures, during the event and beyond. Passenger safety is not a privilege, it is a basic human right. By installing DriveCam and letting passengers know about its benefits, bus and taxi fleet operators will not only make our roads safer but help bring about a much-needed change in the way we think about our own mobility,” concludes Swart.