Lytx® Data Reveals the Effect of the Solar Eclipse on Commercial Transportation

Commercial Drivers Just as Geeked Out as the Rest of Us

SAN DIEGO (Aug. 28, 2017) –

It was a Monday like no other. While most of America took an hour to play hooky to observe what they could of the total solar eclipse, what were the country’s commercial drivers up to?

According to video telematics leader Lytx, driver behavior that day was as extraordinary as the events in the sky. Lytx is the maker of DriveCam^® video safety program, which analyzes video clips triggered by driving events such as a hard swerve or a sudden break. The video clips provide insight into driver behavior at the time of the event. More than 2,200 commercial and government fleets comprising more than 400,000 vehicles use the DriveCam program.

Analyzing its database of more than 70 billion driving miles, Lytx looked back at driving event data for the daylight hours of Mondays for the past five months to benchmark the normal volume and type of Monday driving behaviors. Lytx then compared the benchmark data to driving events during the daylight hours of last Monday, Aug. 21, the date of the solar eclipse.

The data tells a curious story. The rate of drivers “off identifiable roadway” (pulling off to the side of the road) was 68 percent higher on the day of the eclipse, and events involving “other communications device” (something other than a cell phone) were 47 percent higher. The takeaway: Commercial drivers, as a group, were just as geeked out over the eclipse as the rest of us and likely pulled over to take a picture.

But the real telltale sign? Vehicles recorded as “driving faster than the posted speed limit” increased by 35 percent on the day of the eclipse, which could be drivers trying to make up time after playing hooky to watch the celestial events unfold.

About the study: Lytx reviewed 43 behaviors associated with driving events of 239,000 vehicles on 20 consecutive Mondays leading up to Aug. 13, 2017, the Monday before the eclipse, and separately analyzed the same data set for driving events captured during the daylight hours of Aug. 21, 2017. The vehicles spanned all commercial driving segments: trucking, distribution, waste, transit, construction and services.

About Lytx

At Lytx^® we harness the power of data to enable human behavior change and help good companies become even better. Our flagship product, Lytx DriveCam^® sets the standard for driver safety in the industries we serve, and our RAIR^® Compliance Services helps DOT-regulated fleets comply with safety regulations, complementing the DriveCam^® Program. Lytx ActiveVision^® service helps fleets detect and address distracted and drowsy driving, both in real time and over time. We help protect more than 2,200 clients worldwide who drive billions of miles. We enable our clients to realize significant ROI by lowering operating and insurance costs, while achieving greater efficiency and compliance. Most of all, we strive to help save lives – on our roads and in our communities, every day. Lytx is privately held and headquartered in San Diego. For more information, visit www.lytx.com, @lytx on Twitter, or on our YouTube channel.