Drivewyze Offers Free Access to New Safety System
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WASHINGTON — Transportation technology company Drivewyze announced at the Transportation Research Board conference Jan. 9 that it is making its new safety system available at no cost.
Drivewyze Free will deliver essential in-cab safety messages to all commercial truck drivers who are connected to the company’s telematics network, which is available to more than 125 service providers.
“It is a stand-alone service on the Drivewyze platform,” Brian Heath, CEO of the Plano, Texas-based business, told Transport Topics. “This delivers essential, in-cab alerts and advisories to drivers about risky events that may occur in front of the driver on that road.
“We’re releasing this along with our telematics partners and government agencies, and we have come together to make this information available at no cost to the industry, every driver and every fleet, with no strings attached. It’s our vision to move the needle on highway safety: no fatalities and zero crashes.”
Heath
The company says Drivewyze Free will include access to agency-sponsored real-time traffic slowdowns and other safety alerts generated in partnership with select state transportation and enforcement agencies through the Drivewyze Smart Roadways highway safety program for connected trucks.
Drivewyze already has relationships established with the state departments of transportation in New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Delaware, Connecticut, Ohio, Texas, Arkansas and Virginia. More states are expected to sign on to the program. In addition, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is participating, as are the Colorado State Patrol and Wyoming Highway Patrol.
The company said the core message sets are now available across North America’s freight corridors and include a set of Drivewyze-sponsored alerts and advisories, including warnings for areas with high rollover risks, low bridges, mountain-related alerts (steep grade, chain-up/brake check stations, runaway ramps) and rest area information, including truck parking availability.
Also, Drivewyze says its research and information from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that providing professional drivers with real-time information reduces the possibility of crashes.
“Unsafe driving behavior is a leading cause of truck crashes,” Heath said. “Messaging delivered in the vehicle, where and when drivers need it most, shows the power of connected truck technology to affect driving behavior positively.
“For instance, when approaching a high rollover area, we have data that shows our alerts have reduced speed by an average of 7.3 mph for those going more than 5 mph over the posted speed limit. That’s an impactful difference and an example of the power of in-cab messaging to improve driver behavior and highway safety.”
We are a proud Bronze level sponsor at @NASEMTRB's Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Meet our team at booth #452 and catch us at the Solution Showcase Theatre for an exciting announcement on January 8th at 12:30 PM!#Drivewyze #DriveOn #SaaS #TRBAM pic.twitter.com/FOUiCMkJWP — Drivewyze (@Drivewyze) January 4, 2024
Drivewyze also pointed to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study from July 2022 that showed crashes on interstate highways represent close to 30% of all collisions. The study said many are so-called secondary incidents in which a truck or car rear-ended a vehicle that was stopped or had slowed down from an initial crash. In addition, 46% of those secondary crashes occurred while the vehicles were still at the scene, more than an hour after the initial crash.
NHTSA’s report showed preventable rear-end collisions accounted for 32% of all motor vehicle collisions in 2019, and they are the most common type of crash, responsible for 7% of all traffic vehicle fatalities and 31% of all injuries. “We know many of our essential alerts and advisories modify behavior — drivers slow down and apply less hard braking. It makes them safer behind the wheel. We’re hoping all fleets will utilize this free offering to give their drivers technology that can truly make a difference to their safety,” Heath said.
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“Advance notice for routes experiencing sudden or unexpected traffic slowdowns gives truck drivers time to prepare. In North Carolina, where we partnered with the North Carolina DOT, studies found that 70% of drivers who received an alert slowed ahead of an incident,” he added. “And the slowdown was significant — on average by 11 miles per hour compared to 2 miles per hour in a control group.”
The company said that many fleets that currently subscribe to its Drivewyze services platform, including the PreClear weigh station bypass service or its Drivewyze Safety+ driver coaching service, have been receiving the free in-cab safety alerts as part of an optional bundle called Drivewyze Safety Notifications, now renamed Drivewyze Free.
This new service has been expanded to include truck parking information and additional Smart Roadway state programs.
The company added that the Drivewyze Free features will be added regularly, and more states will be joining the program. This will be done with no action required from a participating fleet.
“This is a monumental day for our company, our safety partners and the industry,” Heath said. “In collaboration with our telematics and transportation agency partners, we are excited to be giving this essential safety service to the trucking industry at no cost.”
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