Lytx data identifies where and when collision risks are highest

Leveraging data collected from 116,000 video event recorders from several hundred fleets in its trucking client database, Lytx “State of the Data” report identifies the riskiest times of the week and places to drive in the United States. Between January and September, Lytx captured 16.1 million behaviors and 6.9 million risky events on Lytx-equipped trucks operating in over-the-road trucking operations and plotted the geographic location and time each event occurred.

Treacherous times

According to Ryan Brandos, Lytx data analyst, Wednesdays have the greatest collision risk, while Fridays have the highest rate of near collisions.

“There is a distinct difference between collision and near-collision trends,” said Brandos. “Collisions occur more frequently at night. We see those same drivers avoid contact during the afternoon hours, resulting in more near collisions during the day.”

Of observed driver behaviors, driver distraction rates are highest on Fridays and fundamental traffic violations are most common on Thursdays. Driver conduct and drowsy driving frequency is highest on Tuesdays, and Brandos correlates NBC’s Monday Night Football telecast as a potential factor.

“The NFL season from the end of August through December. During that four-month window, risks are 170 percent higher on those Tuesdays compared to the rest of the year.”

Riskiest routes

Lytx plotted the location of each observed driving behavior and measured the frequency in half-mile segments of U.S. Interstates and highways to create a map of where observed driver behavior triggers were most common:

1. Pennsylvania Route 309 near Vera Cruz Road in Upper Saucon Township, Pa.
2. Pennsylvania Route 309 near W. Emmaus Avenue in Allentown, Pa.
3. Pennsylvania Route 181 near Crooked Hill Road in Susquehanna Township, Pa.
4. Tennessee Interstate 40 near Green Hill Road in Dandridge, Tenn.
5. Tennessee Interstate 24 near Belvoir Avenue in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Using its own risk score system, Lytx said the five road segments are 172 times riskier than the average of all other road segments in the country. All five segments are near interchanges or exit/onramps where lane changes and speed differences increase the chances of collisions.

“With this level of detail, managers and coaches can consider areas of concentrated risk so they can make informed decisions about the best routes for their drivers” said Brandos.

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Lytx also has identified correlations in certain risky driver behaviors and the likelihood those behaviors will lead to a collision in the next 90 days. They include:

1. Collision
2. Blank stare
3. Drowsy driving
4. Driver not wearing seatbelt
5. Late response
6. Failed to keep a space to react to other drivers’ behaviors
7. Near collision
8. Near collision (unavoidable)
9. Aggressive driving
10. Falling asleep

Overall, Lytx’s data showed a decline in risky driving instances by commercial vehicle drivers. From June to September of 2018, there were 358,359 fewer instances than the same period in 2017. Of the top 10 observed driving behaviors, all but three are declining in frequency.