THE SAFETY of drivers and other road users remains a major concern for fleet managers, with human error estimated to contribute to as many as 90% of road traffic collisions in Australia. While risky behaviours such as mobile phone use or failing to wear a seatbelt can be easy to identify and address, the underlying factors influencing those behaviours can be harder to recognise.
Stress, poor mental health and social isolation can all affect concentration, reaction times and decision-making.
The challenge is to identify subtle changes in behaviour early enough to investigate further and understand what may be happening beneath the surface. Fatigue is a case in point. Take an example of a driver who has an excellent safety record but begins to display unusual signs of distraction or tiredness. Simply alerting them to the danger and encouraging them to take a break will not be enough to fix the problem if the cause of their current fatigue or distraction is an ongoing issue such as a health concern or a stressful situation at work.
For fleet managers, this requires a shift in focus. Instead of simply spotting risky behaviour and applying a short-term fix, they need to be able to recognise when this behaviour is in fact an early-warning signal.
The first step is to make sure that the signs are not missed. To know when to look deeper, fleets need a clear understanding of what is happening in the cab and the events leading up to an incident. Modern fleet technology can help identify risky behaviours as they happen, while wider fleet data provides context on whether an event is typical for a driver or represents a meaningful change in their usual pattern.
Fatigue is a useful example, both because early intervention is critical and because it often points to a wider underlying issue. Drivers do not always recognise the warning signs themselves, but AI-powered video telematics can help detect fatigue and other risky behaviours with greater accuracy, even distinguishing between a momentary glance down and an involuntary head droop caused by tiredness. That matters when even a five-second microsleep at 100km/h can mean travelling more than 130 metres without control.
When a risk is detected, real-time alerts such as seat vibrations or audio-visual warnings can prompt the driver to take corrective action before the situation escalates. It’s essential that this is not the only action taken, however.
Fleet data can show that something has changed, but it cannot explain why. A normally consistent driver who begins triggering more fatigue alerts, braking harshly or showing unusual distraction may be experiencing tiredness, stress, illness, pressure at home or another wellbeing issue.
That is where the role of the fleet manager becomes critical. Rather than treating every event as a coaching issue, behavioural change can be used as a prompt for an earlier conversation. A simple check-in can help managers understand whether there are wider factors affecting a driver’s concentration or decision-making. For many drivers, raising a mental health concern isn't easy, so a manager opening the door first can make all the difference.
The right response will depend on what sits behind the behaviour. In some cases, targeted coaching or self-learning may be enough. In others, it could mean reviewing shift patterns or workload, encouraging time away from the road, or connecting the driver with occupational health, mental health or wider wellbeing support.
Used in this way, behavioural data gives fleet managers an opportunity to identify when something may be wrong, start the right conversation and put appropriate support in place before it develops into a more serious safety risk.
Ultimately, this is about more than fewer incidents. Getting the response right, treating fatigue and behavioural change as a signal to check in, not just a metric to manage helps build a workplace where drivers feel safe raising concerns before they become safety risks. That is what getting every driver safely home every time, really means.