ID tags help reduce car accidents
THE increasing use of technology to track driver behaviour ensured that provincial government vehicles had fewer accidents from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019, than was the case in the previous year.
This information was contained in the public works department’s annual report, which was discussed with the legislature’s standing committee on transport and public works yesterday.
Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela said: “Fleet Risk Management reported a reduction in the number of crashes and loss incidents processed from 2 847 incidents in 2017/18 to 2 629 in the year under review.
“This reduction can be ascribed to improved driver behaviour and the impact of systems and processes implemented jointly by Government Motor Transport (GMT) and provincial departments,” said Madikizela.
MPL Andricus van der Westhuizen had asked public works department officers whether they were aware that modern technology could help isolate a driver’s key actions behind the wheel, which may have a direct impact on the fleet’s efficiency goals.
Van der Westhuizen said he had been an employee of the provincial government in 2009, and was aware that the use of on-board devices helped drivers in speeding, harsh braking and acceleration.
“During the year under review, 2 935 driver tags were issued to provincial traffic management and other GMT client institutions.
“GMT will continue with its phased plans to issue driver identification technology to all client institutions. This is expected to be completed towards the end of 2019/20, in preparation for the national implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act, 1998,” the report said.
Driver tags identify the driver when the vehicle is started and links the vehicle’s trip details recorded on the tracking system with the driver’s name and contact details.
Meanwhile, GMT played a significant role in the introduction of in-vehicle technology for the department’s recently relaunched traffic management fleet.