GreenRoad and Staffordshire Council Receive Prince Michael of Kent Technology Award for Young Drivers’ Safety Programme
GreenRoad and Staffordshire Council Receive Prince Michael of Kent Technology Award for Young Drivers’ Safety ProgrammeLondon, UK – December 10th, 2008 – GreenRoad Technologies today announced that it has won the prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in recognition of its work with Staffordshire County Council on its young driver safety programme.
Forty young drivers and their families from across Staffordshire volunteered to install GreenRoad Safety Center in their cars as part of a trial starting in April 2008. Both young drivers and their families have improved their driving massively during the trial, with many transforming their attitude and becoming model drivers. A large proportion of drivers noticed a considerable reduction in fuel consumption too.
Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards are presented to individuals, companies or organisations in recognition of their outstanding contribution to improving road safety. Recognising Staffordshire Council and GreenRoad’s innovative use of technology to make driving safer, HRH Prince Michael of Kent gave representatives from both organisations the technology award at a ceremony in London yesterday.
A virtual driving instructor, GreenRoad’s Safety Center measures up to 120 manoeuvres and gives each young driver instant feedback on a dashboard warning light system as well as providing detailed analysis on a password-protected web site. By reviewing their driving on the web site alongside their parents and road safety experts, young drivers and their families learn how to improve their driving skills.
According to Hod Fleishman, founder and chief of safety at GreenRoad, “Staffordshire has been a trail-blazer in young driver safety and the envy of many other organisations. Not only do these local young drivers benefit from safer driving, they can potentially use up to 10 percent less fuel, saving money and reducing their carbon footprint.”
Staffordshire County Council cabinet member for road safety, Councillor Carol Dean, said young drivers were a huge area of concern. “Over 40% of those killed and seriously injured on Staffordshire’s roads are aged 17 to 25 – but they are only 10% of the population. That’s why this and our wider young people’s safety campaigns are so important. It’s vital we focus on these first years at the wheel. The success of this project is a real boost for the team. It’s fantastic that the world is beating a path to Staffordshire. We have a track record of achievement in reducing death and injury on our roads, and the trend is still downwards – but we have to keep up the pressure.”
Judy Walsh of national road safety campaign Roadsafe said the Staffordshire scheme was a model for others to follow. “The scheme is so innovative, marrying the technological promise of road monitoring technology with the vision and drive of road safety professionalism. It’s a marriage that could save lives worldwide.”
About GreenRoad
GreenRoad provides a single, comprehensive telematics solution to both change driver behavior and manage fleet performance and efficiency. Its solution engages drivers directly for meaningful, lasting behavior change. At the same time, fleet tracking, mapping and reporting help fleets optimize their daily and strategic operations. To GreenRoad customers this means increased safety and customer satisfaction and reduced operating costs for a clear competitive advantage.
For more information please contact:
Dr. Ursula Ron
Online Marketing Manager
ursula.ron www.greenroad.com
