A new insights report from Australian camera technology company Seeing Machines suggests almost 32,000 vehicles operating across Australia are slowly recording less and less fatigue and distraction events.
The 2023-24 Guardian Insights Reports has unpacked data from more than 60,000 vehicles across the world, 32,000 of which are from Australian roads, from more than 3.6 billion kilometres travelled in a 12-month period to September 30 this year.
The report says that more than 3.6 million fatigue and distraction events were detected in that period in Australia, with the number of events “significantly decreasing” as the year went on.
In October, 2023, when the 12-month period began, Guardian says there were 0.728 fatigue events per 10,000 kilometres driven. By the end of the period, the number had dropped to 0.317 events, with fatigue events soaring in particular between the hours of 3am and 5am.
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When it comes to distraction, the hours between 2pm and 5pm were the most popular for driver distraction events.
The Guardian report says September 2024 was the best month in the 12-month period for Australian drivers, with 0.317 fatigue events per 10,000 kilometres reported in this time, making it the world’s best for the month.
When compared with Asia, which had 4.83 events per 10,000 kilometres, and even Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which had 7.728 events in August this year, Australia’s upward trend is a positive sign.
Amid the distracted driving events, the report says mobile phone use was the cause of almost a quarter of the incidents.
Australia’s distraction data, which had a peak month of 1.120 events per 10,000 kilometres, is better than around the world, and most certainly better than Latin America that recorded 30.317 distraction events in June 2024.
A fatigue event, according to Seeing Machines, is a microsleep that has a standard duration threshold of 1.5 seconds, while distraction events include a long glance away for at least four seconds.
“Driver distraction and fatigue continue to contribute significantly to road fatalities and injuries worldwide,” Seeing Machines General Manager – Aftermarket Max Verberne says.
“This report not only highlights the scale of the issue but also provides actionable insights to help mitigate the risks relating to driver impairment, reducing road accidents and protecting lives.”
To view Seeing Machines’ full Guardian Insights Report 2023-24 and how Australian drivers stack up against the rest of the world, click here.
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