Lytx Driver Safety Program Helps Pierce Transit Drastically Reduce Collisions and Risky Driving Behaviors

• With Lytx’s video telematics solution, the Washington transit company has achieved a 31% reduction in collisions and a 42% reduction in following-distance events
• Pierce safety and training coach Brentt Mackie was recognized as “Coach of the Year” this week at the 2020 Lytx User Group Conference

SAN DIEGO – February 27, 2020 – Lytx^®, a global leader in video telematics, analytics, productivity, and safety solutions for commercial, public sector, and field services fleets, today shared the dramatic safety improvements Pierce Transit has achieved since it implemented the Lytx Driver Safety Program.

Pierce Transit, a public transportation agency headquartered in Lakewood, Washington, has 472 Lytx DriveCam^® Event Recorders deployed and close to 1,000 employees. The company serves the public across three counties of western Washington, transporting passengers via buses, vanpools, and paratransit.

“Our goal is to improve quality of life for people in our community by providing safe, reliable transportation services,” says Reggie Reese, Pierce Transit’s Safety Manager. “With so many passengers onboard each of our vehicles, we know it is of critical importance to minimize both the number of collisions and the severity of those incidents when they occur. The DriveCam system has been instrumental in improving both these areas in our fleet, helping us to reduce our accident rate.”

The adoption of Lytx technology has led to significant improvements in the safety practices of the company’s operators. Over a one-year period, the fleet experienced:

• 31% reduction in collisions
• 56% reduction in drivers not wearing a seatbelt
• 42% reduction in not leaving enough following distance
• 19% reduction in late response

“The installation of DriveCam helped us succeed in our goal of identifying risky behaviors before they resulted in collisions,” said Reese. “Once we brought these behaviors to light, we were able to work toward a higher level of safety, to better protect both our operators and the members of the public we serve.”

Lytx’s Driver Safety Program uses cloud-connected event recorders with machine vision and artificial intelligence (MV+AI), which capture and categorize risky driving behaviors. program then uses a combination of human review and advanced algorithms, informed by Lytx’s vast database of driving data, to determine where drivers can improve their behavior to become safer on the road. These insights are delivered in the form of prescriptive coaching workflows proven to change driver habits.

A Winning Approach to Safety

In order to create a successful and long-lasting safety program, Pierce Transit implemented an in-depth introduction of Lytx to its team. The management team introduced the program to operators over a series of meetings spanning three days, during which the CEO and other members of Pierce’s leadership were highly involved. The meetings highlighted the company’s commitment to its operators and passengers, illuminating the importance of a positive and proactive approach to safety. Following these meetings, operators had opportunities to continue those conversations with their leadership team anonymously or in-person, in order to foster as much familiarity with the event recorders as possible.

The impact of this commitment is clear in the safety improvements the operators have achieved. Pierce DriveCam Program Administrator and coach Brentt Mackie was recognized as the “Coach of the Year” at Lytx’s User Group Conference this week. Mackie has approached coaching with professionalism and empathy, while holding drivers accountable to the highest safety standards. Jason Hovde, Drivecam Program Director for Pierce, also oversees the key performance measures for the program, ensuring that daily operation of the Lytx program are in line with Pierce’s long- and short-term goals. He is an extremely important part of the program management.

“I am driven to excel, lead, and promote safety in all aspects of my life,” said Mackie. “Our employees are the best in the business. Working in the Pierce Transit Safety Department, I can help our operators and improve their driving habits, making a real impact on my company’s business and my community’s safety. It is truly a dream job.”

A Hands-On Commitment from Leadership

Consistent with the company’s focus on communication, the Pierce Transit team has used the Lytx Driver Safety Program to open a dialogue about the responsibilities of both managers and drivers.

“We were impressed with the personalized, coachable insights Lytx delivered to us,” said Reese. “Since installing the platform, we’ve been working with our team to approach those insights strategically. With both our managers and our drivers, we emphasize the important role each person plays in reinforcing our safety culture. We integrate the insights Lytx provides and translate them into our actual behaviors on the road.”

As a way to build comradery and stress the importance of a company-wide commitment to safety, the leadership team at Pierce installed the Lytx event recorders in both the public transportation vehicles and all company vehicles.

“I believe one of the most powerful parts of the transition has been seeing that everyone in the agency is held accountable, not just operators,” said Reese. “At our quarterly safety meetings, the team shares Lytx video, and drivers are given the chance to talk about both the good driving behaviors we see as well as the riskier behaviors that need to be improved. In this way, Lytx’s system has given our company a tool to recognize exceptional driving, developing an awareness of not only the bad habits but also the positive contributions employees are making on the road every hour of every day.”

About Pierce Transit
Founded in 1979, Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation (Pierce Transit) is a nationally recognized leader in the public transportation industry. Pierce Transit covers 292 square miles of Pierce County with roughly 70% of the county population. Serving Washington’s second largest county, Pierce Transit provides three types of service, Fixed Route, SHUTTLE paratransit and Vanpools that help get passengers to jobs, schools and appointments.

About Lytx
Lytx^® is a leading provider of video telematics, analytics, safety, and productivity solutions for commercial, public sector, and field services fleets. Our unrivaled Driver Safety Program, powered by our best-in-class DriveCam^® Event Recorder, is proven to help save lives and reduce risk. We harness the power of video to help clients see what happened in the past, manage their operations more efficiently in the present, and improve driver behavior to change the future. Our customizable services and programs span driver safety, risk detection, fleet tracking, compliance, and fuel management. Using the world’s largest driving database of its kind, along with proprietary machine vision and artificial intelligence technology, we help protect and connect thousands of fleets and more than one million drivers worldwide. For more information on Lytx telematics system, visit https://www.lytx.com , @lytx on Twitter, LinkedIn, our Facebook page or our YouTube channel.

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