Safer Driving Assistant
What is the SDA?
The Safer Driving Assistant (SDA) is an interactive in-cab display unit which has been developed to help drivers adhere to good driving practices and become more fuel and carbon efficient drivers. The device is mounted on the vehicle’s dash panel and reacts in real time to the driving style, alerting drivers to instances of excessive idling, speeding, harsh braking, harsh accelerating, excessive throttle use and over revving (dependent on solution installed). The alerts are displayed visually on the LCD touch screen display and are accompanied by an optional alert tone, to inform the driver of their error. Each of these driver behaviour parameters can be easily configured to reflect the acceptable parameters for the particular vehicle, driver or route, as necessary.
Energy Efficient Driving Index (EEDI)
Each driver’s behaviour and style is measured using the Energy Efficient Driving Index (EEDI), which rates the drivers’ performance against these parameters in a simple colour coded index, similar to that found on a domestic appliance.
Each time the vehicle’s ignition is switched on, the driver’s actual EEDI for the current week is recalculated and displayed on the SDA unit, along with their target EEDI, which the driver should work towards achieving.
The real time alerts that the driver receives in-cab are also recorded and presented through the EcoTrak reporting suite. Therefore, instances of poor performance can be easily identified and corrective driver management can be implemented where necessary.
Integration with EcoTrak
For vehicles fitted with EcoTrak fuel saving technology, the SDA unit can deliver the full range of in-cab driver behaviour information, taken directly from the engine management system. The available alerts are:
- Idling
- Speeding
- Harsh Braking
- Harsh Accelerating
- Excessive Throttle
- Over revving
Integration with SupaTrak
For vehicles fitted with SupaTrak vehicle tracking, the SDA unit can deliver the following alerts:
- Idling
- Speeding
- Harsh Braking
- Harsh Accelerating
- Unauthorsied Usage
The alerts data obtained by vehicles fitted with SupaTrak vehicle tracking can also be accessed using the Fuel Efficient Driving Report, available via the CMS SupaTrak reporting suite.
Future Developments
Two way messagingThe touch screen SDA unit can accept incoming messages and the driver can acknowledge these by replying with pre-defined responses.
Job Scheduling and Allocation
Jobs can be sent down to the SDA unit and received, accepted and progressed by the driver.
Satellite Navigation Integration
Compatible satellite navigation devices can be integrated with the SDA unit to provide one touch satellite navigation from jobs.
