The truth will out

As readers of Land Mobile magazine will know, the use of telematics is now more or less ubiquitous on the part of those in the business of fleet management.

There are a variety of reasons for this, not least that the technology provides companies with peace of mind when it comes to driver performance, in terms of both safety and efficiency. Conversely, the knowledge that they are being watched also impacts drivers themselves, ensuring a level of mindfulness (when it comes to speed, awareness of other road users and so on), which wouldn’t necessarily have been the case in more primitive times.

Having said that, telematics have by no means engineered out poor driving altogether, evidenced by the 1,710 reported road deaths – according to the Department for Transport – that took place in the UK in the past year. As it happens, however, the technology also has a valuable role to play in the quest to find out what happened after things have gone wrong.