Security business Christie Intruder Alarms is reporting a 60% reduction in accidents four months after installing the Lightfoot driver behaviour system in its 100-strong fleet of Vauxhall Astra car-derived vans.
During an eight-month trial of the technology, the Portsmouth-based business also found that monthly fuel costs dropped by 12%.
"Our rationale for trialling and then installing Lightfoot was to improve the overall running of our fleet, from a safety and environmental point of view," says Christie's fleet manager Andy Jenkins (pictured).
"Financial savings on fuel were also important in the sense that the installation needed to be self-funding."
The Lightfoot system, he adds, ensures that improvements in driver behaviour are sustained: "Driver training is a quick fix; its impact lasts for maybe three or four weeks, whereas Lightfoot is a long-term fix," he says. "It provides continuous reminders to help drivers maintain a safe and efficient style."
The system is also being used to incentivise safer and more economic driving: each month, the four most efficient drivers receive a cash reward.
"Our most efficient drivers are consistently managing 70mpg, whereas the least efficient manage around 35mpg," reveals Jenkins.
Christie received funding support from Portsmouth City Council, with a grant from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.
