Managing fleets with data: A new era for road safety

With the rise of connected vehicles, IoT sensors, and advanced analytics, data is now a central driver of safety, efficiency, and sustainability. For fleet managers, one of the most impactful areas is road safety, where smart use of data is helping companies can prevent accidents, reduce vehicle wear, and ensure driver well-being.

Reactivity vs prediction

Traditionally, vehicle maintenance followed fixed schedules or responded to visible wear or breakdowns. Today, data enables a shift toward predictive maintenance, where vehicles can alert managers (or drivers directly) when tyre wear reaches critical levels, brake pads need replacement, or fluids run low. For instance, reminders can now be automatically triggered when the mandatory technical inspection date gets closer, or if mileage data signals an overdue check-up.

This proactive approach extends to safety-specific issues. Anomalies in engine temperature, unusual vibration patterns, or odd braking behaviour can all signal deeper issues that could lead to dangerous incidents on the road if left unaddressed. By identifying and acting on these signs early, fleets can avoid not only mechanical failures but also the accidents that often result from them.

Better safe than sorry

Data also shines a light on drivers’ behaviours. Some in-vehicle monitoring systems allow fleet managers to assess key behavioural indicators such as harsh braking, rapid acceleration, and excessive speed, on an ongoing basis. These insights can be used to offer specific trainings, suggest safe- or eco-driving lessons to encourage more responsible driving habits.

Guy Dierckx, fleet manager at Proximus, explained how energy consumption data alone can uncover hidden behaviours:

"We have drivers using 15 kWh per 100 km and others using 23 kWh. Either they’re taking very different routes—or they need coaching in eco-driving."

Importantly, these driving patterns are also directly linked to safety: smoother acceleration and braking not only conserve energy but reduce accident risk and tyre degradation.

With all-season tyres being now very common and inspections less frequent, data on driving style becomes even more critical to estimate wear-and-tear cycles and trigger timely maintenance.

Monitoring accident rates

Accident rates are key performance indicators of fleet safety culture. The most effective safety programs analyse every incident, regardless of severity. From minor parking lot scrapes, to more important accidents, tracking and analysing accident data allows organisations to detect patterns, such as recurring incident types or high-risk drivers, and to respond accordingly.

Take the case of Carglass. By conducting granular analysis of all reported accidents, even those involving only light damage such as bumping into a pole—the company has significantly lowered its accident rate.

"Thanks to a more detailed analysis of accidents, we managed to bring down our accident rate," said Ronny Van Den Driesch. The result: a drop to 0.16 accidents per vehicle per year, compared to an industry average of 0.60.

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