Vehicle van security and van fleet compliance specialist HH Drive Right has launched a new solution that can help van operators avoid vehicle theft opportunities left open by lax driver behaviour.
The company warns that thieves are tracking vans on delivery routes, preying on the speedy delivery times required by last-mile companies and the bad habit of van drivers leaving keys in the ignition whilst making a swift ‘drop’.
Such a scenario would mean that any insurance payout would be void, but the firm has devised a solution to this.
Its GM 2020 device first emits a buzzer alert if keys are left in the ignition. If no action is taken, it remotely immobilises the van within 10 seconds of the driver’s exit. And the vehicle remains immobilised and auto-locked (if compatible) until the fleet manager is assured the driver has made an error of judgement and needs to access their vehicle again. If so, the vehicle can be remotely remobilised, within 60 seconds, via multiple platforms.
Not only does the technology help safeguard vehicles, but it can also dramatically change driver behaviour.
In initial trials by one fleet, the first week saw 16 of its 20 vans immobilised, generating a total of 186 immobilisations. But by week seven, this had dropped to 20 immobilisations across the entire fleet, none of which were triggered by existing drivers, only by new ones.
“In just six weeks, driver behaviours and vehicle security had both been considerably enhanced,” said HH Drive Right’s managing director, Rebecca Hall.
“We have demonstrated that our system can dramatically improve a van fleet’s anti-theft strategies, by making drivers think twice before leaving the keys in the ignition.”
As not all van thefts are carried out by individuals unknown to the driver, the HH Drive Right GM 2020’s dashboard also allows fleet managers to view an audit trail of the driver’s actions, assessing things such as whether doors were left open, the locking/unlocking of the vehicle suspicious or handbrakes left off.
“We are spearheading the fight against vehicle theft caused by lax driver behaviour,” added Rebecca Hall. “Keys-left-in-van thefts are thefts that need not happen and yet there is so much pressure to carry out fast deliveries, so much apathy and so many ingrained bad habits, they do. Our system stops this, by allowing the driver to responsibly lock the van but, if they do not, locking it in a 10-second timeframe that will prevent its theft. For the price it costs, installing it is a no-brainer.”
Prices start at £10.25 per vehicle per month plus a fitting fee, and the firm says the non-evasive installation method means there is no threat to warranties with this device.
