Drivers of buses and coaches have a highly responsible job requiring maximum concentration. Keeping passengers safe and ensuring vehicles continue to operate seamlessly are integral to their duties, so supporting bus and coach drivers is essential. Here, Brigade looks at how driver safety cameras are enhancing journeys and explains why they’re so important.
Across Europe, the protection of drivers, passengers and other road users is a top priority for public service vehicle fleet operators, and enhanced safety solutions are an invaluable component for all buses and coaches.
However, a recent survey by Geotab – ‘The Unseen Toll: Driver Stress and Road Safety’ has drawn attention to the issue of road safety with some statistics from commercial drivers which need to be addressed.
The issues of road safety
The survey highlights that 97% of drivers in the Netherlands, 96% in France, 95% in Italy and 94% in Germany believe that safety issues should be attended to more consistently across the EU, and that steps should be taken to tackle unsafe habits when behind the wheel. The use of mobile phones when driving was of particular concern.
Drivers who believe public safety should be attended to
%
Hollanda
%
Fransa
%
İtalya
%
Almanya
The negative impacts of stress and fatigue
With a global shortage of qualified drivers, those who are stretched thinly on public transport rosters can worry about fatigue affecting their driving performance. The Geotab survey shows that 70% of respondents believe stress is contributing to a reduction in road safety and 91% say that it is negatively affecting their driving. This can lead to high turnover rates at a time when retention of drivers is an important consideration for fleet operators.
%
Europeans who use public transport daily.
A further study undertaken by French organisations GART (Association of Transport Authorities) and UTPF (Union of Public and Rail Transport), 81% of Europeans use public transport for day-to-day travel; it’s an important component in the EU’s economic strategy. While bus and coach incidents have decreased across the EU, there is still room for further progress. In 2023, France reported 5 fatalities, Germany 16, Poland 8, and Italy 28.
Technology as a Solution: Embracing New Safety Tools
The selection of AI cameras coming onto the market in recent years is proving to be a game-changer for vehicle safety solutions, and one of these is Brigade’s Driver Safety Camera – an in-cab system which offers drivers a reliable and trustworthy means of promoting responsible and vigilant driving.
How Brigade’s Driver Safety Cameras Work
The installation of driver safety cameras is a solution which conscientious fleet operators are enthusiastically prioritising. There has been some debate about privacy; the cameras capture continuous footage of the driver’s face, upper body and the cab behind. However, as a worldwide leader in commercial vehicle safety solutions, Brigade is keen to emphasise the benefits of driver safety cameras and reassure drivers that the intention is to support them and keep them, as well as their passengers and other road users, safe.
For example, the cameras help drivers become more aware of their driving habits and make positive changes to improve safety. They can therefore be useful tools for driver training and development and help improve overall fleet safety and effectiveness. Driver safety cameras are just as likely to prove a driver’s diligence and reliability as they are to flag up issues. Good drivers are more likely to receive recognition for their driving.
Sürücü ne zaman bir uyarı alacak?
Esneme
Dikkat Dağıtma
No Seatbelt
Yorgunluk
Sigara içmek
Uyuşukluk
Compliance with EU Safety Regulations
“Supporting drivers so that they can continue to operate with confidence is integral to maintaining safety across the board and ensuring bus and coach journeys remain uninterrupted. It is encouraging to see from this report that drivers are keen to utilise technology to ensure they can continue to work to the very highest standards without compromising on road safety. We are pleased that our Driver Safety Camera is the link between the two.”
– Guillaume Amigues, Regional Director, Brigade Electronics France
Brigade’s Approach
Brigade’s mission since 1976 has been to save lives, and all products are rigorously tested to enable bus and coach drivers to keep passengers safe and make their journeys with confidence.
