Improvements in Road and Driving Tech Keep Truckers Safe

When people imagine technology keeping the roads safer, they probably think of automated vehicles or improved safety devices in cars. Fewer people understand that there are critical and massive safety breakthroughs in development for the roads themselves, as well as for larger commercial trucks. Technology can make driving safer, faster, and more efficient. Those who drive for a living, particularly commercial truckers, will likely benefit from the increased use of road technology and better trucking technology as well.

Smart Roads Will Reduce Crashes and Traffic Jams

Smart roads seem like they belong in The Jetsons. This system integrates a series of sensors into the road. These sensors can potentially provide information both to drivers and nearby emergency responders.

For example, smart roads could alert people approaching them that there is a large amount of traffic that is moving slowly. That could help drivers of trucks to avoid traffic jams. There's nothing worse than getting stuck on a gridlocked highway when you have a deadline rapidly approaching.

Of course, smart roads can also help with safety as well. They can detect accidents and other serious issues, allowing for a faster response from medical and law enforcement professionals. The summer of 2018 saw limited testing of smart roads in Colorado. When they become a reality, they could reduce collisions and potentially save lives with faster medical treatment.

Commercial Truck Tech Reduces Liability and Risk

Technology can help keep trucks safer as well. Some commercial drivers are opposed to new truck tech, likely thinking of the hassle and headache that resulted from the upgrades to electronic logging devices in April of 2018. However, many kinds of truck technology can actually help keep truckers safe, including GPS systems which can track when a truck is missing, stolen, or hijacked. Other tech can help make driving safer.

Forward-looking truck cameras, for example, can provide critical information to law enforcement and insurance agencies in the wake of a collision. They could help establish the fact that other drivers were unsafe and exonerate a trucker accused of causing a crash. There are also systems which help with collision mitigation, including sensors in the vehicles and alerting truckers of the need to take steps to avoid a potential collision.

Investing in technology can reduce crash rates. Picking the right technology is important, as is adequate testing and education about each technological advance. However, there may soon be new options for inside trucks, as well as smart roads, helping to keep everyone safe.