In the decade spanning 2011 to 2020, one report indicated that an average of 50 police officers lost their lives each year in vehicle crashes. This accounted for 21% of officer deaths while carrying out their official duties. Another report found that 53% of law enforcement officers’ deaths occurred when responding to an “Officer Needs Assistance” call.
A fleet safety solution by Mobileye, which has decreased incidents in non-law enforcement fleets, can prevent many of these fatalities and other crash-related injuries.
Causes Of Fatal Vehicle Crashes Involving Law Enforcement
Local and state police amount to three-quarters of a million officers. This figure excludes federal law enforcement officers. The demands of the job put them under constant pressure. There are physical, mental, and job-related stressors that come with the job. Behavioral factors that impact driver safety include stress-related tunnel vision, speeding (most noticeably at intersections), losing focus while using mobiles or other electronic devices, and failing to wear a seat belt.
The Mobileye Fleet Safety Solution
A slow reaction time on the road can result in a fatal incident or one where victims are left with permanent injuries, such as loss of limbs, paralysis, and brain damage. The Mobileye collision avoidance system, available from a trusted Mobileye Reseller, can provide sufficient warning to reduce the time it takes to respond to a near collision.
Not only can crashes be avoided using a fleet safety solution, but insurance claims and payments can also decrease. Fleet managers can help avoid a nuclear verdict by having a fleet safety plan in place and working towards full compliance company wide.
The fleet safety system provides speed limit indication, intelligent high-beam control, cyclist and pedestrian collision warning, headway monitoring and warning, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning, giving your fleet drivers a major advantage over the other vehicles on the road.
Dangerous Situations Encountered By Law Enforcement Officers
Over the past three years, statistics from the Officer Down Memorial Fund showed that the death of law enforcement officers due to “Auto” was the second leading cause of death for police.
The Mobileye system can be fitted to traffic vehicles, unmarked police cars, detention vans, SUVs, trucks, response vehicles, and patrol vehicles. Its technology can be adapted to the unique situations faced by law enforcement when carrying out their duties. When an officer is placed in a critical pursuit high-speed chase, the Mobileye system can switch off all alerts except the critical ones. This can be programmed to occur automatically when the system is shifted to Pursuit Mode. For example, the system will not inform the driver that he/she is speeding.
However, in other situations on the road, law enforcement officers will be made aware of risky driving behavior that could endanger the driver, pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles on the road. One example of a dangerous but common driver behavior is tailgating. The system will continue to alert the driver until a safe following distance is maintained.
It is essential to make law enforcement officers aware of unsafe driving habits to guide them to become better drivers and avoid vehicle incidents. A Mobileye system can make the difference between life and death on the road for police officers.
