Distracted driving is a growing problem on our roads. Statistics published by Brake, the road safety charity, found that police attributed more than a third of fatal crashes on UK roads to driver distraction, either “failure to look” or other distractions including using a phone when driving.

A study conducted in St Albans of 11,000 drivers found that one in six had succumbed to distractions such as talking on a phone, to a passenger, or smoking. Young drivers are most likely to be distracted.

Another survey conducted jointly by Brake and the insurance company Direct Line found that a third of respondents admitted to eating while driving; and one in 10 had experienced a near-miss due to being distracted by eating at the wheel.

Every year, 25,000 people lose their lives on European roads. An EU study entitled Driver Distraction states that between 5% and 25% of car crashes can be attributed to driver distraction. In response, the EU is changing the law so that, from 2022, new vehicles will have to be fitted with safety technologies including alerts to prevent driver drowsiness and distracted driving. The introduction of the advanced safety features could save over 25,000 lives and avoid at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038, according to the EU.

However, you don’t have to wait until 2022 to start tackling distracted driving in your vehicles. The Trakm8 RH600 vehicle camera is now available with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including the ability to alert both drivers and their managers to driver fatigue and distracted driving.

The award-winning RH600 combines all the benefits of telematics with video and photo evidence of road traffic incidents in one compact device, making it ideal for fleet management.

The RH600’s inward-facing camera is programmed to check that the driver’s eyes are on the road ahead. If their eyes are looking elsewhere for more than a very short period, or the eyes begin to close, they receive an audio warning. The fleet manager also receives a notification, which can include a photo capturing the incident.

The most advanced 4G telematics camera in the UK, the RH600 is proven to reduce accident rates by up to 39%, cut instances of speeding by 35%, improve driver behaviour, and enhance fuel economy by up to 10%. This means that deploying our vehicle cameras can help to save lives, while also saving money.

To find out more about the RH600, please visit https://www.trakm8.com/vehicle-cameras/telematics-integrated-cameras

If you would like to find out more about our vehicle camera solutions, fill out the short form below and one of our team will be in touch. Alternatively, call us on 0330 311 5157 or email us at info@trakm8.com.