Vitality Drive for Business - protect your business fleet with telematics

In 2016, 14 071 South Africans died in car accidents and the motor vehicle accident fatality rate increased by 18.8% from 2013. The ripple effect of road accidents extends deep into the economy - poor driving, for example, increases fuel costs by an average of 15%.

Discovery Insure found that 90% of road accidents occur mainly because of human error or poor driving behaviour. The three main reasons are:

• Impaired driving from drugs or alcohol,
• Impatient or aggressive behaviour leading to speeding and harsh braking, and
• Distracted driving.

Now, imagine your business fleet is exposed to these risks every day - how would you make sure your drivers and your vehicles are safe? Think about how much a road accident could cost your business in loss of earnings, cost of vehicle repair and injury to your employees.

Your business vehicle has been in a road accident - now what?

When a vehicle in your fleet is in an accident, it damages your goods and it can interrupt the normal flow of your business, causing you to suffer financial losses.

With telematics technology, you can to track your business vehicles and monitor the driving behaviour of each of your drivers. This can help to improve driving behaviour and prevent potential losses to your business.

"Businesses need to make sure that they have comprehensive motor insurance cover that offers them superior technology to track their vehicles and drivers," says Anton Ossip, Discovery Insure CEO. "In addition, businesses that transport goods also need goods-in-transit insurance."

Introducing Vitality Drive for Business

Vitality Drive for Business is a driver behaviour programme that uses telematics technology to measure and reward good driving. Vitality Drive for Business helps drivers improve their driving behaviour and reduce the number of accidents, which results in safer roads.

Ossip explains the motivation behind Vitality Drive for Business: "We started Discovery Insure in 2011 with the core purpose of creating a nation of great drivers. South Africa has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world and this not only costs lives but also affects the economy. Our Vitality Drive programme has worked incredibly well in the personal lines insurance segment. By improving driving behaviour we have been able to reduce the number of accidents and the related costs.

"The effect of an accident on a business can lead to reduced productivity and income. It makes sense to extend Vitality Drive to the business insurance sector so that we can have an even greater impact on creating safer roads."

The benefits of Vitality Drive for Business

Vitality Drive for Business rewards businesses and their employees for driving well. The programme measures specific aspects of driving, for example acceleration, braking, cornering, night-time driving, speeding and use of cellphones.

Small businesses benefit by getting up to 30% of their vehicle premiums back each month for driving well. They can also track their vehicles in real time and monitor their drivers' behaviour through an online fleet portal. "This helps to improve driving behaviour and ultimately leads to lower insurance claims," Ossip says.

For the driver, good driving means weekly Active Rewards. "Good drivers will be able to choose from airtime, data, a meal, coffee or a smoothie from one of the service providers in the partner network," Ossip continues.

Driving positive change with technology

"Discovery Business Insurance uses innovative technology to help our clients improve their businesses. This includes telematics technology, the online fleet portal and advanced risk assessment technology," Ossip explains.

To get started, businesses can install Discovery Insure's globally recognised smartphone-enabled DQ-Track to each of their vehicles to measure their driving behaviour. Businesses will also have access to advanced safety features that can help to protect their drivers. One of these features is ImpactAlert. Discovery will send out emergency assistance when they detect severe impact to a vehicle even if they can't get hold of the driver.

"Our technology helps businesses to improve their driving behaviour and risk management," Ossip says in conclusion. "Improved risk management helps businesses improve their overall operations, which improves the sustainability of the business."