Safety Telematics: the Key to Reducing Insurance Costs for Motorcycle Fleets

By Liron Cohen-Yanay - EVP International Sales

Motorcycle Fleets

It’s easy to understand why so many companies are turning to two-wheelers for their delivery fleets: they’re cheaper to buy than vans, less expensive to run, and much, much easier to navigate through inner-city traffic.

But these advantages come with a downside. With pressure to complete more deliveries faster, too many riders weave in and out of traffic, squeeze between lanes and drive on sidewalks. This leads to accidents and injuries, creating a ripple effect of disruption, beginning with rider health and spreading in ever-widening circles to workforce morale, brand credibility and higher insurance premiums.

Part of the problem is, unfortunately, the inherent safety risk of the scooters and motorcycles themselves when compared with heavier vehicles. Since their riders are exposed and vulnerable, when a 2-wheeler is involved in an accident – whoever is at fault – there is a high risk of injury. Couple this with the fact that motorcycles are harder to see than larger vehicles, and it’s easy to understand why their accident statistics are so poor. For example, in the EU, motorcyclists and moped riders account for over 14% of all road deaths, and they have the highest accident and injury rates per mile travelled of all road user groups.

 But these statistics are not inevitable. The fact that 94% of all accidents are caused by human error is just as true for motorcycles as for 4-wheel vehicles. This means that relatively simple changes in driving behavior and awareness can dramatically improve vehicle fleet safety and incident rates. Your riders can’t control the actions of other drivers on the road, but with good driving habits and awareness – an approach that is promoted by the right telematics technology and tools – they can steer clear of risky situations and drive more carefully.

That’s why we at GreenRoad have extended our Driver Safety Telematics app, the industry’s most effective tool for improving driver behavior, to create our new Rider Safety Telematics platform, a system designed specifically to help bike fleets reduce their accidents and insurance premiums.

Driver Safety Telematics app

GreenRoad’s Rider Safety Telematics: the Key to Improving Rider Behavior

GreenRoad Rider Safety Telematics solution is an app that downloads in minutes to rider mobile phones, and immediately begins monitoring driver performance.

Once GreenRoad is deployed on a rider’s device, his safety levels, location and other telematics data are under a microscope – and fully visible to management. The app keeps a watchful eye on the rider’s every move, noting any instances of harsh braking or acceleration, sudden lane changes, cornering or speeding. All activity is “condensed” into a simple-to-understand Safety Score, which rates riders according to their safety level: green for safe, smooth operations, yellow/amber when their driving could use improvement, and red for riders in the danger zone.

The fleet management software shares these ratings transparently with the riders themselves and with their managers, who use them as the basis for acknowledgement programs, gamified incentives and “friendly competitions” – or, when required, for preventative intervention.

At the end of each trip, riders use the app to self-coach and self-train. By reviewing their trip histories, they become aware of the specific areas that require attention, and personalized training advice and safety tips are available to give them instruction. Often, the app provides suggestions for simple navigational or behavioral changes that can make an outsized difference in reducing fleet and rider risk.

At the same time, the platform provides management with “finger-on-the-pulse” tools designed to empower a comprehensive, proactive approach to fleet management. As a real-time vehicle tracking system, the platform assures that management knows exactly where each rider is located – and how safely they are operating, moment to moment. With advanced AI intelligence, the platform provides early warning about any riders who have developed problematic habits, enabling intervention in time to prevent the next accident. When rider re-training is necessary, the platform’s deep analysis of rider habits enables management to be as efficient and effective as possible by focusing and personalizing their initiatives.

As a fleet telematics solution, the system also monitors and documents all aspects of policy compliance. When riders exceed allowed hours of service or maximum riding times, the system sends out an immediately alert. On the flip side, with all aspects of compliance meticulously documented, management is “covered” in the event of incident investigations, whether by insurance providers or safety authorities.

One of the system’s most impactful aspects is its enablement of gamified rider engagement and incentivization programs.

Reducing Insurance Costs for Motorcycle FleetsManagement uses the system’s safety scores as the basis for motivating awards, certificates and prizes, whether to reward excellent safety performance or to acknowledge improvement. In addition, they can be used as the basis for fleetwide “friendly competitions”: it is amazing how quickly improvement occurs when riders see their scores at the low end of a list. GreenRoad’s global Fleet Elite program serves as the “icing on the cake,” establishing a prestigious international acknowledgement for riders with truly exceptional safety records.

As has been proven in fleet after fleet, in all corners of the world, the transformation of rider phones into telematics devices, coupled with such practical and intelligent tools and features – when deployed as part of a comprehensive safety program – generates a rapid, significant and continuous decline in accident rates. This, in turn creates a ripple effect of positive benefits: riders who feel safer and more protected, schedules that are less vulnerable to disruption – and, over time, the ability to negotiate better insurance rates.

From an operational perspective, the fact that the GreenRoad platform is downloadable as an app that requires no device installation makes it fast and easy to roll out for thousands of riders. It integrates fully with existing company apps, with a single-sign-on capability available for simultaneous launch. Available in multiple languages, the app is easy to master for riders around the world.

Protecting Your Riders

Perhaps the most important advantage of deploying GreenRoad Rider Safety Telematics is the clear message it sends to the riders themselves: “We care about you, we care about your safety, and we’ve got you covered.” This helps fleets attract and retain the best riders, a scarce commodity in today’s competitive marketplace.

Taken as a whole, it’s a win-win-win proposition: riders who feel cared for, affordable insurance premiums – and safer roads for all.

Learn more about GreenRoad Safety Telematics.