Featured OP-ED

   Behavior vs. Diet Fad

     Paul Farrell, CEO, SafetyFirst

Have you ever considered that fleets who are trying to go "green" by simply buying/leasing a token number of hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles are a little like "fad dieters" -- "if I could just eliminate all carbs, I'll lose weight!". 

In the short term, there's improvement, but the underlying problem remains -- behavior hasn't changed to ensure a lasting result.  Drivers whose 'behind the wheel' habits waste fuel and create incomplete combustion by-products will continue to foul the air.

 Hybrids and Alt Fuel vehicles are great, but unless drivers also change their habits/behaviors (ie. hard accelleration, speeding, etc.), then those remaining hybrid, gasoline, "clean" diesel or ethanol fueled vehicles will waste just as much fuel as ever, and keep dumping CO/CO2 into the air.

A stronger focus on "green" driving behavior would achieve a much greater, more immediate and longer lasting result (parallel is learning to eat a well balanced diet with proper portions through educated choices rather than trying to live off of nothing but steaks and grapefruit juice). 

Companies need to roll up their sleeves and begin to attack consumption by 'coaching out' those behaviors that cause needless waste and increase risk of injury from collisions. The ability to capture real-time behavior data coupled with observed call center reported incidents provide practical means to achieve this goal.