Vehicle Tracking: Cell Phones Cause Distraction for Drivers

One of the major benefits of GPS vehicle tracking is increased driver productivity. But what if your tracking device has become another distraction for your drivers?

Many businesses have turned to cell phones to track their drivers. Where this can be an easy solution for a business, it often opens a digital “Pandora’s box” for it's drivers.

Smart Phones have become smart enough to track a vehicle's location, but also smart enough to update one's Facebook page and view pictures of the kids. Businesses may be providing their drivers with the only web access they have throughout their day. The temptation to “reach out” to friends- text a spouse, or check sports scores- is often too great for many drivers.

Research by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that a truck driver looking down while texting for a mere six seconds while motoring at 55 miles per hour will travel the entire length of a football field, and not realize they traveled so far.
The Harvard Center of Risk Analysis estimates that each year cell phone activity contributes to:
636,000 motor vehicle crashes
330,000 injuries, and
2,600 fatalities.

Many companies have already adopted polices banning their drivers from using cell phones in an effort to reduce the number of injuries and the rising costs associated with workplace distractions. These employers understand the potential liability connected with this behavior. Lawsuits have been settled for millions of dollars in favor of people hurt or killed by distracted drivers.

In fact, several politicians and the American Transportation Association have already introduced legislation aimed at banning texting while operating a vehicle. The proposed “Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers Act of 2009” bill will penalize states in violation of the law, with the risk of losing 25% of their annual federal highway funding.

Do your business a favor…track your vehicles, but do so with a device that does not interfere with your drivers’ daily duties or tempt them to play with “apps” during their work day. The end result will be a safer, more productive work environment.

FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com

Some Creative GPS Vehicle Tracking Deals Are Risky

As industries go, the GPS vehicle tracking industry is relatively new. As such, many providers are quickly coming up with creative pricing models to attract new customers. Some have even gone the way of cellular providers, offering high-tech devices (tons of apps!) at highly reduced prices, but with a lengthy contract.

Two questions arise for businesses with the need to track their vehicles:
(1)What to you really need in a device, and
(2)Should you enter into a service contract…even if you get enormous up front discounts?

To address the first question, think about what you are trying to accomplish.
Do you want to stop unauthorized driving?
Do you want to reduce the number of "Where are you calls?"
Do you need to know who is closest to an address right now?
Do you want to log stop times for billing or cost accounting?
Do you want to log mileage for billing or cost accounting?
Do you want to spot overlapping or inefficient routes?
Do you want your drivers to know you can see what they're up to?

Situational awareness is the real necessity for most businesses. Bells & whistles are nice, but not a must-have, and often a distraction. With today’s technology, businesses can purchase devices that provide enough information to answer the questions above for under $150.

Now to our second question, “Should I enter into a contract…for any reason?” No! The answer is “no”. The list of reasons is long but includes:
1.You shouldn’t have to…there are GPS vehicle tracking providers that offer service with NO contract
2.In today’s economy, you never know when you’ll have to scale back. In fact, it’s good business practice to be prepared to do just that. A contract locks you in, and by nature is not flexible.
3.You may have a future need that your existing provider can not support
4.You may simply find a better deal
5.Technology changes quickly. So do payment options in new industries. Your device, and payment plan, may be obsolete before long.

A GPS vehicle tracking system is an investment when you have more than a few vehicles. Make sure you reduce your risks by choosing a plan doesn’t lock you in.