Applied Driving Techniques Targets At-Risk Driving Behaviour With AI-Powered Driver App

Applied Companion, developed in partnership with Sfara, detects and logs at-risk driving events and then aims to correct driver behaviour issues with targeted safety messages, performance reports and Triggered Training. During a 15-month trial of the app, ADT witnessed a dramatic change in driving habits with a significant reduction in speeding (68%), hard breaking (70%) and rapid acceleration (90%). Applied Companion also includes a suite of personal safety features that provide 24/7 protection to lone workers.

“Applied Companion takes a driver-centric and supportive approach to revolutionise fleet risk management,” explains Andy Phillips, Global Managing Partner of Applied Driving Techniques (Global Solutions) Ltd. “This is not simply about changing behaviour, but also attitude, by constantly reinforcing your safety message and treating drivers as individuals with unique needs.”

Applied Companion uses the sensor inputs of a smartphone combined with learning AI to identify risky driving behaviours – harsh braking, rapid acceleration, contextual speeding, phone handling, crash detection – and generate actionable information. The app can even distinguish between being a passenger or driver, so knows when and when not to attribute driving events to an employee.

Based on individual performance, targeted email or SMS messages are sent to the driver in the first instance as a safety reminder, followed by one or more of 27 Triggered Training modules to reinforce good driving choices. A weekly performance report for both employees and key stakeholders provides an easy-to-view summary, including a simple ranking system to encourage healthy competition. Typically, these steps are enough to reduce road-based risk, but for any persisting issues notifications will be sent to the relevant manager.