The Road Traffic Management Corporation recently released figures indicating that more than 100 people died in 80 serious crashes on South African roads during the April holidays.

Although these numbers compare favourably with last year, Vodacom's head of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Tony Smallwood, believes that M2M solutions have the potential to reduce the number of deaths on our roads. “The tragedy of losing a loved one and possibly a breadwinner in such senseless circumstances can, and should be avoided,” says Smallwood. Vodacom M2M – through parent company Vodafone M2M, a world leader in machine to machine communications – is at the forefront of developing telematics solutions that make use of a device fitted to a vehicle to monitor driving behavior.

“Telematic solutions can monitor speed, alcohol use, fatigue, lack of driving competence, and mobile phone use – all of which are significant contributors to motor vehicle accidents,” says Smallwood. “Convincing drivers to change their bad driving habits via alerts, insurance premium discounts and vehicle performance analysis can play a critical role in saving lives.” Smallwood explains that the advantage of this technology is that it places responsibility in the hands of the driver. “By providing motorists with concrete information about their driving style, M2M solutions have the power to educate and ultimately change behavior.”

Research from countries with lower accident rates, such as the UK, suggests that drivers who are aware that they are being monitored are less likely to drive recklessly, especially if there is a financial benefit to good driving behavior. Insurers are also able to analyse this data and reward or penalise drivers according to their driving conduct. “A telematics device coupled with a GPS receiver is able to measure a range of vehicle motions and operations, including harsh braking, speeding, and failure to halt at stop signs. This technology has been highly effective in reducing road accidents and enables insurance providers to align their premiums with actual driving behavior.”

Currently, telematics systems are installed post-production, but the concept of a ‘Connected Car’ is catching on and at least one vehicle manufacturer has tested an onboard telematics system with Vodacom M2M. The solution entails the installation of a SIM card connected to a mobile network that offers a variety of services. Smallwood concedes that this type of device can’t prevent an accident from occurring – but it can change behavior and in doing this reduce the chance that an incident will take place. On top of this, in the event of an incident, Vodacom’s M2M solution can alert emergency vehicles automatically. “These are the features that save lives. If all cars carried this technology, I’m convinced we’d see a marked reduction in traffic fatalities,” says Smallwood.