40 years on and we still need to be reminded to buckle up

It's 40 years since legislation in the UK made it compulsory to wear seat belts in the front of cars. That was on 31 January 1983. And in the weeks and months that followed, 90% of car drivers and front-seat passengers were observed wearing seat belts.?

In the wake of the new laws, this lifesaving piece of legislation led to a 29% reduction in fatal injuries of front-seat passengers and a 30% drop in serious injuries.???

At the time, the introduction of new seat belt laws faced stiff political opposition from both the Conservative government and Labour opposition. But the legislation was finally passed in 1981 after years of lobbying by medical and safety campaigners before coming into force in 1983.?

Today, it seems incomprehensible that such common-sense safety laws took so long — and so much effort — to be introduced.?

And yet, despite being on the statute book for 40 years and having been proven to save lives, we have a problem. People still think it's OK to ignore the law. Not least UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who in January — just days before the 40th anniversary of the life-saving seat belt legislation — was fined for not wearing a seat belt in the back of the car.?

The reputational damage for all those involved was nothing compared to what might have happened had his ministerial limo been involved in an accident. And it is those same risks —?both in terms of safety and reputational risk —?that fleets face every second their drivers are out on the road.?

Seat belts don't save lives...wearing seat belts saves lives?

According to the Parliament Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) — set up in 1982 as part of the seat belt safety campaign and which is still active today — too many people are losing their lives due to their failure to wear seat belts. And it's not just seat belt usage that is a problem.

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A recent trial led by the Highways Agency using mobile AI-augmented cameras detected a driver safety offence every 90 seconds along one stretch of the M6 in Merseyside.

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National Highways Road Safety Team leader Jamie Hassall said the results of the trial showed that some drivers simply do not feel the need to wear a seat belt or continue to use their phones even though it is outlawed.

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And yet, drivers who talk on phones — both hands-free and hand-held — are four times more likely to be in a crash resulting in injuries.

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“We want to see if we can change driver behaviour and therefore improve road safety for everyone," said Hassall. "Our advice is clear; buckle up and give the road your full attention.”

Technology can be used to save lives

I couldn’t agree more. But it’s also interesting that the Highways Agency is trialling the use of AI-enabled cameras to catch drivers flouting the law. If the trial proves successful, what started life as a pilot project could be rolled out across the UK.

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Here at Samsara, we’ve also invested in bringing smart AI-enabled cameras to our fleet customers. But the cameras are not used to snare drivers who break the rules. Instead, they’re used to improve safety — and build a more inclusive safety culture — by providing in-cab nudges and alerts should a driver forget to wear a seat belt or become distracted while driving.

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If it's an honest mistake — a momentary lapse of judgement — then a gentle reminder to buckle up or concentrate on the road is all that's required. To me, that’s good driver management and reflects a deep-rooted safety culture within an organisation.?

Our AI-enabled cameras can also spot someone not wearing a seat belt or using a phone before alerting them. The matter is dealt with there and then as a means to coach drivers and prevent the worst from happening.

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But if the problem of safety breaches is more systemic, the technology can escalate the issue. Our reporting tools can flag recurring driver behaviour and feed back this information to fleet managers so that they can implement a Proactive Driving Coaching programme to address any underlying problem or take whatever steps might be necessary.

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By taking this approach, our customers and their drivers are in control of their working environment to ensure the best possible outcomes.

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For instance, Antalis — a global leader in paper, packaging and visual communication that operates across the UK and Europe — uses Samsara to improve their driver safety, foster stronger relationships with employees and reduce road risk.

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This has helped transform Antalis’ approach to coaching so that it's now tailored to each driver. With Samsara’s alerts, if a manager spots a pattern of behaviour that needs further investigation this can be done before it gets out of hand.

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Like so many things to do with safety, much of this is common sense. It's also a reminder that when it comes to safety, you can never let your guard down. And if technology can be used to help save lives —?by keeping people focused on the road ahead — ?then I’m all for it.?