There’s no question that in the age of information, the availability of large volumes of data can help vastly improve organizations’ operational and strategic integrity. Data-driven insights can help transit agencies better understand customers, enhance product and service offerings and, most importantly, operate more safely. However, many transit agencies do not yet truly grasp just how to use available data to make their operations safer.
According to data from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), transit injuries have increased steadily in the past decade. In 2007, there were 2,505 injuries reported. Since then, the injury rate has risen close to 20 percent, with 3,008 injuries recorded in 2017.
With the trove of reporting mechanisms and data sources available, there’s no excuse for transit agencies not to utilize this information to assess risk and improve safety processes. A growing number of transit agencies are turning to video-based safety and analytics as a key element of their comprehensive safety plans. The benefits of adopting a fully managed video safety program include access to insights that identify high-risk driving, accident prevention and compliance with the FTA standards. Many agencies today also cite the exoneration of drivers not at fault in a collision as another significant value driver for implementing video safety.
Video provides crucial safety data
There are a myriad of day-to-day risk factors, such as dangerous road conditions, speeding and distracted driving, that affect a driver’s or operator’s ability to operate a safe bus, light rail or other transit vehicle. Adding to this complicated issue is the fact that each driver has a specific set of strengths and weaknesses, making it difficult for safety managers to understand and act on the specific needs of each driver without having the context of proper safety data. This is where video-based safety comes into play; by combining data-driven analytics with the context only video can provide, transit agencies can glean insights into the riskiest driving behaviors, and then intervene with proactive coaching to reduce risk and prevent accidents.
Video-based safety provides the necessary context for each driving situation. For instance, in the case of a collision, was there an incident on-board with passengers that distracted the driver, taking his/her attention away from the road? Or, did another vehicle swerve, requiring the operator to react to minimize impact? With context, transit safety managers have full visibility to an incident, allowing them to intervene with targeted coaching to hone driver’s skills and improve safety.
Managed service – the key to an effective program
After implementing a video-based safety program in a transit operation, agencies now have access to data from all the pertinent incidents that drivers experience each day. However, in mid- to large-sized agencies, the sheer amount of information that is provided can be overwhelming and is an onerous task to sift through and derive actionable insights. Time spent reviewing volumes of footage captured by an off-the-shelf DVR is inefficient and unlikely to deliver useful information. With a fully managed program that includes expert review, unbiased analysis and consistent scoring, safety managers can better spend their time and resources in the field, training and working with drivers.
Most buses have a DVR system, but you have to pull the hard drive and watch hours of video to try and find out what happened.
“A trigger-activated system, such as SmartDrive, is excellent in helping to mitigate litigation and the amount you could pay out to a potential person who is going against you in any type of suit. The results you achieve outweigh the costs,” noted Todd Cheever, Nassau County Transit.
This is where a managed services program can step in; it’s not enough to simply install a video system; fleets need to utilize a managed services program that can take the mountain of data from video and turn it into valuable insights quickly and effectively. For the riskiest driving skills, safety managers can’t wait days or weeks while review of DVR footage takes place in order to intervene. A managed services program can save time and money, allowing transit safety managers to focus on what matters most: targeted coaching on specific behaviors. Rather than sitting behind a desk and watching hours of video, management can instead spend time on high-value operational support and training.
A managed services program also provides an unbiased, consistent review process that is both fair to drivers and provides a basis of measurement to evaluate driving improvements. Safety managers may have biases and inconsistent methods of evaluation, leading to uneven, sub-optimal results. With a managed services program, drivers benefit from uniform feedback, applied evenly across the organization, and safety managers have a consistent measurement and coaching tool.
Video ensures compliance and helps exonerate drivers
In addition to helping drivers operate more safely, the rich data from a video-based safety program offers a host of additional benefits to transit agencies. The FTA mandates transit operators develop safety management system (SMS) plans to meet safety compliance regulations. With a proven video-based safety provider, transit operators can ensure they are providing the data requisite for compliance with the four SMS safety pillars, which are safety policy, risk management, assurance and promotion. Real-time footage that is captured from video can be used to measure driving behaviors and improve risk management for a fleet.
Commercial transit operations are often first to be blamed during incidents on the road. With video-based safety, transit agencies can pull video in near real-time, provide the requisite data to responding officers/insurance providers and exonerate their operators without having to go through costly litigation. In the instances where a transit driver was at fault, agencies can quickly work to resolve the issue, speeding the claims resolution process and allowing their operations to resume in a timely fashion. This process can save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year and get drivers and vehicles back on the road.
Noting that the SmartDrive program also provides necessary contextual evidence to exonerate a driver wrongly accused in an accident, Patrick Manley, director of safety and security at RATP Dev USA, added, “Nothing else tells a better story than video. Video immediately exonerates a misunderstood situation and helps turn grey areas into black and white.”
Video is the answer
Agencies should ensure their fleets are capitalizing on the benefits of big data and utilizing the best technology available to operate at the highest level. With video-based safety and a managed services program, transit agencies not only get access to the most pertinent safety data in near real-time, but are given the insights necessary to exonerate drivers, comply with FTA regulations and most importantly, keep drivers operating safely on the roads.
Jason Palmer is the chief operating officer at SmartDrive Systems Inc.
