Fleets rank collision avoidance as most desired safety system, finds Arval

Collision avoidance and emergency braking are the two most desired advanced driver assistance systems by fleet managers, research by Arval has found.

The company’s Arval Mobility Observatory 2019 report found 49% of the 3,930 fleets surveyed ranked collision avoidance or warning systems as the most useful systems to improve driver safety, followed by automatic emergency or braking systems (46%).

Other technologies which were ranked as ‘most wanted’ were pedestrian detection systems (38%), lane departure warning (30%), automatic parking systems (20%) and adaptive cruise control (15%).

Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “ADAS systems are becoming very common on company cars but they are something of an issue for fleets in that there is very little reliable information available about which work best in terms of actually helping drivers avoid accidents.

“What this research represents is therefore really a list of which devices fleet and mobility managers believe will be most useful in real world conditions – and what it indicates they want more than anything is to avoid collisions with other vehicles and pedestrians.

“Our view is that ADAS technology works best in promoting safety when used alongside telematics devices that allow driver behaviour to be highlighted, helping employees to make improvements both by themselves and through options such as training.”

The research also looked at the measures taken by employers to minimise road risk and found the most common was a risk assessment (61%), followed by a safety communication programme (35%), on-road training (33%) and classroom training.

It found 84% of businesses with more than 1,000 employees carry out risk assessments compared to 32% with fewer than 10 employees.

Sadlier added: “This is almost certainly an issue or resources. A large organisation will tend to have company-wide risk assessment arrangements in place that cover all their activities in depth and the fleet will benefit from this professionalism.”