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New Tech Seeks To Improve Fleet Driver Safety
Article by: Darren Griffin
Date: 1 Sep 2010
 Fleet operators will soon have a new weapon in their arsenal in the drive for increased safety and reduction in vehicle accidents.
CallControl from OBDedge is a small Bluetooth enabled module that plugs into a vehicle’s OBDII port and connects wirelessly to the drivers mobile phone. Fleet managers can create rules and policies which lock out some, or all of the phone’s functions whilst the vehicle is moving.
Many organisations are choosing to enforce bans on the use of mobile phones by their drivers whilst using company provided vehicles and this system provides a simple and foolproof method of achieving this whilst allowing managers full access via a web based back-office to set policies and access reports.
The back-office system gives an administrator control of policies including configuration of working hours, use of hands-free etc. Calls to 999 and 112 are always permitted.
Other features include receiving alerts via text and/or email if an attempt is made to disable the hardware module or phone software. No need for a GPS equipped device and support for multiple drivers in one vehicle or multiple vehicles operated by a single driver.
A recent survey by PocketGPSWorld revealed that 90% of those responding agreed that the use of handheld mobile phones should be illegal and 81% felt more should be done to reduce the distractions caused by mobiles.
Figures from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) showed that 2.8% of drivers speak on their mobiles. This figure is up from 1.4% in 2007 when the use of handheld mobile was made illegal. TRL also highlighted that drivers reaction times are worse than a driver at the legal limit of alcohol.
In addition, RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) report that research shows that you are four times more likely to be involved in an accident if you use a mobile phone whilst driving.
Fleet News also recently carried further coverage regarding the approach to Company Car Drivers and the use of mobile phones, even hands-free.
For more information visit the OBDEdge web-site at www.obdedge.co.uk.
| Comments
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 Posted by broadcast_techie on Sat Sep 04, 2010 12:28 am |
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OK so this bricks your work mobile with bluetooth enabled. What happens when you turn off bluetooth or are using your personal phone?
Ok the first question is obvious: it will alert your employer, but the second is still valid...
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| Posted by yeramihi on Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:25 am |
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| broadcast_techie Wrote: | OK so this bricks your work mobile with bluetooth enabled. What happens when you turn off bluetooth or are using your personal phone?
Ok the first question is obvious: it will alert your employer, but the second is still valid...
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I would not think it's so obvious. I would get myself another phone and pop simcard into it. Car module would look for phone by bluetooth address so it would find company phone without (or with any other) simcard in it and you can use phone (the other one) again as you wish..
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| Posted by Darren on Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:55 am |
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| broadcast_techie Wrote: | | OK so this bricks your work mobile with bluetooth enabled. What happens when you turn off bluetooth or are using your personal phone? |
The software is installed by the company on your company supplied phone.
If you use another phone then obviously they cannot seek to control it. The aim is to promote safety here. If you're using a company vehicle then they have every right to restrict your use of a company phone whilst driving but anyone hell bent on circumventing it will of course always succeed. But that's not the point is it?
Darren Griffin |
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| Posted by Darren on Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:00 am |
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| yeramihi Wrote: | | I would not think it's so obvious. I would get myself another phone and pop simcard into it. Car module would look for phone by bluetooth address so it would find company phone without (or with any other) simcard in it and you can use phone (the other one) again as you wish.. |
And should anyone who really thinks it is acceptable to go to those lengths to thwart the system deserve to remain in a companies employ?
Rather than expect an employee to conduct business whilst driving, perhaps we should see such systems as a benefit. They make a clear statement that a company does not wish nor expect its employees to take work calls whilst driving and good on 'em for taking that stance.
Besides, the system is rather cleverer than you give it credit. It sends a message when triggered by certain events, if the correct SIM isn't in it then it can't send the message or it will come from the wrong number. That will flag a warning and get that employee rather closer attention than they may want!
And so there is no misunderstanding, I would fully support a complete ban on the use of mobiles in-car by a driver, there is zero need or justification for their use whilst driving, car-kit or not. No call is that important.
Darren Griffin |
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