By Erin Gilchrist, VP of Fleet Evangelism at IntelliShift
April 23, 2025
Fleet Tactics to Combat Distracted Driving and Improve Community Safety Along the Way
America’s roadways are the most dangerous work zones we’ll ever put our drivers in. The trucking profession and driving in general carry significant risks. Yet, every day, about 3.6 million professional drivers hit the road to keep our businesses and economy moving. The danger they face is amplified by distracted driving, a factor contributing to more than 3,000 reported fatalities annually, with likely many more going unrecorded.
Fleets have a unique opportunity to protect their drivers and help improve public safety on a much broader scale. By combining smart telematics tools with meaningful coaching and feedback programs, fleets can create a ripple effect of safer driving behaviors that extend beyond work hours into everyday life.
The Opportunity to Drive Change
While cell phone use tends to be blamed as the primary cause of distracted driving, distracted driving isn’t just about phones. It can stem from adjusting the car radio to improper headrest positioning to driver fatigue. Fleets, as highly structured driving environments, are in a strong position to reduce these risks at the source through technology, accountability, and leadership.
When a fleet adopts a culture of safety, it doesn’t stop at the end of a shift. Drivers trained to recognize and correct unsafe behaviors often carry those habits into their personal lives — on school runs, family road trips, and neighborhood errands. In that way, one driver’s improved behavior can directly influence an entire zip code’s safety profile.
Exploring a Safer Road: The Potential of In-Vehicle Technology
Consider a potential scenario in which a group of truck drivers are employed with a medium-sized field services fleet company. For many of them, the brief pause at a red light often becomes an opportunity to glance at a phone. It’s rarely considered a significant distraction – just a quick check. Now, envision the employees’ company implementing AI dash cams across its fleet, coupled with regular coaching sessions.
Over the course of a year, the drivers experience the benefits of real-time in-cab alerts from AI-powered dash cams, providing immediate feedback on behaviors like lane drifting or sudden braking. Supplementing this would be monthly performance reports linked to a driver scorecard, identifying both areas needing attention and demonstrating areas of strength. Initially, such a system might be perceived as an intrusive monitor. However, with consistent coaching and thoughtful performance reviews, self-correction could become intuitive, often happening even before a formal alert is triggered.
Imagine how this might influence a driver’s habits. That ingrained reflex to reach for the phone at a stop could evolve into a conscious pause. Over time, with consistent reinforcement, that impulse might fade entirely. Now, when these drivers use their personal vehicles, their phones remain untouched. They become more engaged with their surroundings and more attentive drivers. Consequently, the roads around them become safer for everyone.
The Tools that Reinforce Habits
Modern fleet safety programs go far beyond incident response. They’re proactive systems that use data to prevent accidents before they happen. Telematics platforms offer real-time alerts for risky driving behaviors like speeding, sudden stops, and distracted movements. AI-powered dash cams take that a step further, detecting visual and behavioral cues like drowsiness or device use, even if no incident occurs.
This visibility helps fleet managers not just identify concerns but actively coach against them. Some solutions allow safety leads to set up alerts based on customized KPIs, like phone handling or tailgating, while others integrate driver scorecards to encourage accountability. When paired with coaching programs and feedback loops, these tools can foster a true culture of continuous improvement. And when safety is reinforced over time through policy alignment, thoughtful training, and personalized feedback, it becomes muscle memory.
A Lasting Impact
It’s easy to think of fleet safety as something contained to the workplace. But the truth is, behavior doesn’t flip on and off like a switch. When drivers are held accountable and given the right tools to succeed, they’re more likely to continue those behaviors off the clock. That’s especially relevant in regions where fleet activity overlaps with local schools, residential streets, and shared infrastructure. Drivers’ decisions, like rolling through a stop sign or checking a text at a red light, have real consequences. By embedding safety into daily routines, fleets can elevate the driving standard for everyone on the road.
Technology can’t eliminate every risk, but when fleets combine it with strong safety leadership, consistent driver engagement, and clear expectations, the results speak for themselves. Drivers are more confident, communities are safer, and businesses are better positioned to protect their people, assets, and reputations. The road to safer communities doesn’t start in Washington D.C. or your local DMV; it begins with every decision made behind the wheel. And in many cases, it starts with fleets.
About the Author
Erin Gilchrist, VP of Fleet Evangelism at IntelliShift, brings 15 years of experience from Safelite AutoGlass, where she managed a fleet of more than 8,500 vehicles. A long-term member of the Automotive Fleet Leasing Association (AFLA), she advocates for fleet leaders through her podcast, Straight Talk on Fleet. Passionate about fleet management, education, safety, innovation, and sustainability, she remains active in the industry, serving as a supplier and strategic partner.
