Lytx® Helps Manatee County EMS Reduce Near Collisions by 100 Percent

Chief Paul DiCicco attributes success to strong emphasis on driver coaching and consistent recognition for good behavior

Lytx DriveCam^® safety program recognized for its role in three recent EMS driver exonerations

BRADENTON, Fla. – October 9, 2018 –

Manatee County Emergency Medical Services (MCEMS) today announced its decision to sign on with Lytx for a full-fleet deployment of the Lytx DriveCam^® safety program. MCEMS is the primary 911 emergency response service for Manatee County, with a fleet serving up to 550,000 Floridians, running approximately 40,000 transports per year.

Manatee County EMS evaluated the DriveCam safety program as a solution to reduce preventable collisions and costs, as well as a driver-training tool that would reinforce driver and public safety as a top priority within the agency. During its three-month trial, MCEMS experienced significant improvements, including:

• 100 percent reduction in near collisions
• 60 percent reduction in both frequency and severity of risk
• 58 percent reduction in cell phone violations
• 65 percent reduction in following distance violations
• 49 percent in traffic violations
• 87 percent coaching effectiveness, which shows drivers are not repeating behaviors for at least 60 days after being coached

“Safety is in our name—the Department of Public Safety is who we work for—and it’s our job to use every tool we can to provide safety for our staff and those we serve,” said Manatee County EMS Chief Paul DiCicco. “We want to be the safest division in Manatee County, and Lytx has helped us make remarkable steps toward achieving that goal.”

Exonerating Drivers

Since implementing the program in April 2018, Manatee County EMS has experienced three separate incidents where video clips from the Lytx DriveCam safety program have led to the exoneration of EMS drivers and uncovering the cause of mystery damages.

Most recently, a Manatee County vehicle was involved in an incident that police initially perceived to be the fault of the MCEMS driver. With the DriveCam footage, however, the driver was shown to not be at fault and was exonerated.

“This incident clearly allowed local law enforcement to see our driver was not at fault,” said Larry Luh, assistant chief of operations for Manatee County EMS. “Lytx allows us to have a better overall awareness for safety, but importantly, also allows us to determine what occurred in cases of crashes, saving us time, resources and stress.”

In another instance, an outside vendor damaged a Manatee County vehicle while conducting service work. The DriveCam event recorder was triggered by the incident, allowing management to easily prove their driver was not the cause of the damage and receive full compensation from those at fault.

“The program has proven to be a great success,” said DiCicco. “Our EMTs and paramedics have accepted the technology and they feel safe with it.”

Rewarding Good Behavior and Coaching the Rest

Chief DiCicco credits the program’s success to management’s non-punitive approach and heavy focus on driver coaching. Since implementing the Lytx DriveCam safety program, the department has given out numerous driver recognition awards for good driving habits, including collision avoidance. MCEMS has seen its driver training and coaching processes transformed with the use of current, real-life video.

“Much of our success stems from not tying our program to discipline. We made coaching our first-line approach and regularly reward good driving,” DiCicco said. “We’ve found there’s a lot more value in correcting behaviors than there is in taking disciplinary action or waiting for something to happen first. If there’s no corrective action or coaching aspect to a program, then there’s no value in it.”

MCEMS has used captured footage for department-wide training programs and onboarding, including the unexpected benefit of using the videos in training for how to navigate Manatee County’s many gated communities. Coaches are able to show exactly how different gates operate and provide strategies and examples for dealing with malfunctioning gates, saving time in emergencies.                                               

“Lytx has allowed us to use real-life examples that have happened here at our agency with our ambulances,” said DiCicco. “Reviewing events helps reveal what’s happening in our fleet. It really captures the attention of our drivers and trainees and helps us save a lot of time and be more productive compared to the outdated PowerPoint we’ve used for the past 20 years.”

Awareness Throughout MCEMS

Not only is the DriveCam event recorder installed in each of Manatee County's ambulances and emergency warning-equipped SUVs, but also in each officer’s and supervisor’s vehicle as well.

“I’m not exempt, I have a boss who reviews my clips,” said Chief DiCicco. “A few times I’ve had the urge to pick up my cell phone and look at email, but I know I’ll be held accountable and I rethink it. That’s the positive impact Lytx has brought to Manatee County across all of our drivers.”

DiCicco continued: “Since adopting Lytx, there’s been a huge improvement in our overall safety culture. Our local government was so encouraged by our pilot that our risk manager is going to recommend we adopt this solution county-wide to all government vehicles.”

About Manatee County EMS

Manatee County EMS (MCEMS) is a public EMS agency located on the West Coast of Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico. The organization serves approximately 746 square miles with a population of 376,000, spiking to 550,000 during high season. MCEMS’s 44-vehicle fleet, including 19 ambulances, runs approximately 50,000 calls per year and 40,000 transports per year.

About Lytx

At Lytx^® we harness the power of video to transform fleets with improved safety, efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Our flagship service, the Lytx DriveCam^® safety program, sets the standard for driver safety in the industries we serve. The Lytx Video Services℠ enhancement delivers a highly configurable user interface to provide fleet managers unparalleled visibility into their fleet operations, both in the moment and up to a week later. 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, and additional services offer virtually limitless solutions for fleets and field operations of any profile. We protect more than 3,000 commercial and government fleet clients worldwide who drive billions of miles each year. For more information, visit Lytx.com, @lytx on Twitter, or our Facebook page or YouTube channel.