I’ve been driving with eDriving’s Mentor app for about a year now and
know that it has made improvements in my skills. I haven’t cracked the
top 10% barrier yet, but I’m still trying! The secret to having a high
score appears to be trying to anticipate and
plan for what is happening around you as you drive.
Speed is the simplest of the driving tasks to follow but does present
its challenges. The riskiest of them is the tendency for other drivers
to crowd your back bumper. Why some drivers feel the need to do this on
multi laned highways is a bit of a mystery to
me.
I wonder if telematics can use the automatic emergency braking system on newer cars to monitor this?
Sudden braking incidents can be prevented by maintaining an appropriate
following distance and watching the status of traffic lights as you
approach the intersection.
Is it a stale green light? Preparing for the stop doesn’t cost you
anything as you are going to have to stop anyway. In fact, it can save
you money in the long run by reducing wear on the brakes.
Drivers who fill in your front safety margin and then brake to get ready
for a turn or make another lane change mean keeping an eye out behind
and beside you as you drive. It would be helpful if they thought about
signaling their intentions but the majority
seem to signal as they move.
Heavy acceleration has not caused any black marks for me since the first
one. I’m never in a hurry to be the first vehicle into an intersection
after the lights change and I have not had to take evasive action to
prevent a collision, yet.
Smooth lane changes are an easy score. Plan ahead, mirror, signal,
shoulder check and change. Simple. Again, I’ve never had to make a
sudden move because of the actions of another driver, yet.
The last behaviour that the app watches for are sharp turns. Experience,
advisory signs and familiarity with your vehicle are a great help with
this. When in doubt, too slow is better than too fast.
I’ve mentioned a potential reduction in vehicle maintenance already but
there is another way the app helps pay it’s way. Driving for a good
score is also driving for economy. Fewer dollars spent on fuel are
healthy for both your wallet and the environment.
There is no doubt in my mind that ICBC will eventually be using driver
telematics to set insurance rates. Practice now will make it easier to
save money on my insurance bill in the future.
Mentor also supplies me with video training tailored to my driving
habits. I’m a bit behind in watching the videos, but I’ve both learned
something new and reinforced prior knowledge with them.
Over all, I’m pleased that I have taken the time to use the app. I think
that it has made me a better and hopefully safer driver.
Story URL:
https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/behaviour/what-ive-learned-year-driver-monitoring
—
Constable Tim Schewe (Retired)
DriveSmartBC: Where better than average road users satisfy their curiosity.
