Distracted Driving
In Arabicتشتت الانتباه أثناء القيادة
Anything that takes a driver's eyes, hands or mind off the road, such as phone use, eating or smoking, even for seconds.
What is distracted driving in fleet management?
Distracted driving is anything that takes the driver's eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or mind off driving. The phone is the worst offender: reading a message takes the eyes away for about 5 seconds, in which a vehicle at 100 km/h covers roughly 140 metres unseen.
A tracker cannot see distraction itself, only its results, such as sudden braking. Direct detection needs a driver status monitoring (DSM) camera that analyses the driver's face and head movement; its alarms reach Safee with a video clip.
How it works
- 1Camera analyses the driver's face
- 2Distraction alarm reaches the platform
- 3Supervisor reviews clip and acts
Why does distracted driving matter in fleet management?
Distraction is behind a large share of rear-end and run-off-road crashes, and it is hard to prove without video. Detecting it turns the conversation with the driver from accusation into a clear scene you can coach on, and makes a no-phone policy enforceable.
What you gain
- Fewer rear-end collisions
- Clear evidence for coaching
- Enforceable phone policy
How does Safee help detect distracted driving?
Safee receives distraction alarms from DSM cameras together with the driver-camera clip, so the supervisor sees the moment as it happened. Even in vehicles without cameras, a sudden rise in harsh braking for one driver can point to distraction worth following up.
A field example
A pharmaceutical distributor in Jeddah found most of its crashes were rear-end collisions in town. It fitted DSM cameras to 40 vans, which logged 300 distraction alarms in two weeks, mostly drivers opening the order app while moving. The company changed the process so deliveries are confirmed only when the van is stationary. Two months later alarms were down 75% and crashes had halved.
Frequently asked questions
Can a tracker alone detect phone use?
No. It only sees the effects, such as sudden braking or wandering out of lane. Direct detection needs a camera facing the driver.
Is a hands-free call safe?
It is less risky than holding the phone but still occupies the mind, which is why many companies ban calls while driving altogether.
Want to put this to work in your fleet?
Talk to a Safee fleet expert about your vehicles and how you operate, and we will suggest what fits.
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