How Risky is Driving in SoCal?
Driving in Southern California is not for the weak. It’s crowded. It’s full of busy people in a hurry to get to their next destination. There are interchanges everywhere you look. With the high cost of doing business in this state, it’s never been more important for fleets to find wins wherever they can.
What Are the 10 Riskiest Driving Behaviors in Southern California?
It should surprise no one that handheld device and following distance take up the first two spots in the Lytx® 2025 State of the Data report. Handheld device use is rampant nationwide. In 2022, 3,308 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
And we all know how infamous California is for tailgating. A short following distance can be risky because it leaves less reaction time when the car ahead does something unexpected. And when you factor in other variables like weather and road conditions, the risk only grows.
At number four, incomplete stop, also known as a California stop, poses plenty of danger. Pedestrians are particularly at risk when a driver fails to make a complete stop, particularly when a driver is trying to make a right turn.
How to Solve for These Risky Behaviors in Your Own Fleet?
- Help drivers improve behaviors– AI-powered dash cams detect risky behaviors like distracted driving, following distance, and incomplete stops. Robust video safety and telematics functionality can provide data-rich insights on driver performance, driver behavior monitoring, risk management, and incident detection.
- Proactively coach and train drivers– Insights from video and telematics together helps managers provide targeted coaching, reducing risky habits before they lead to accidents.
- Get invaluable incident footage for liability protection– Video footage provides clear evidence in case of an accident, protecting your fleet from false claims and costly litigation.
Where Are the Riskiest Southern California Driving Areas?
For Californians, driving near airports and complicated interchanges is often a necessary evil to get where they need to go. But did you know there are ways to mitigate the risk associated with driving near these types of areas?
- Stay ahead of dynamic risk– Dealing with dynamic risk from areas like construction zones and weather is a typical part of any operations manager’s job. Leading video and telematics solutions offer GPS tracking for easy adjustment of service and deliveries, plus weather alerting and configurable zone rules and alerts to help managers choose safer routes and lower their fleet’s risk profile.
- Offer contextual coaching– Instead of generic feedback, coaches can provide contextual feedback based on location-specific risks, like merging onto a busy interchange or navigating airport traffic.
When Are the Riskiest Times to Drive in Southern California?
While most Californians do their best to time their driving to the most optimal times of day, it’s just not always possible. This is especially true for fleets who do business at all hours of the day and night. Timing is not always a luxury they have. When that’s the case, being selective about routing decisions is critical. How can fleets stay on top of ever-changing conditions like time-of-day risk?
- Go beyond dots on a map– Video safety and telematics allow operations managers access to robust, on-demand video for all their vehicles, plus real-time visibility of vehicle locations, enabling better resource allocation and quicker response times. This means a clearer picture of what’s happening in the moment, allowing managers to quickly change a driver’s course if needed.
- Get the data you need for future decisions– Analysis of fuel management, vehicle diagnostics, route optimization, and regulatory compliance data can reveal patterns and offer key data points to make operational decisions, like avoiding a particular section of road at certain times of the day.
Take Action: Protect Your Fleet with the Right Video Safety and Telematics Technology
Managing a fleet in Southern California is no small task, but with the right tools, you can safeguard your drivers, vehicles, and business. A top-tier fleet video safety and telematics system gives you the visibility and insights needed to reduce risk, cut costs, and build a culture of safety.
Ready to learn more about how the right technology provider can help your fleet protect your most valuable assets in motion? Contact us today to get started.