While you may think that you're a pretty good driver, it turns out that you aren't - no one is.
This is what Australian ex-traffic Officer Chris L'Ecluse who now works at Teletrac Navman wants drivers to know. But he also wants to help road users become safer drivers through the use of telematics technology.
Chris L'Ecluse - Photo / Supplied
While we may initially learn good habits when we get our licence, over time we forget, and bad habits start to take over. And although you might think that more experience on the road leads you to become a better driver, Chris revealed that this may not be the case.
"We always take the path of least resistance, so even though we were taught to steer in a manner when we got our licence, even though we were taught to indicate every time we change lanes or turn at an intersection, precious few of us actually do that."
"We justify these poor behaviours as we go on."
L'Ecluse went on to explain that because we haven't experienced any consequence to our actions, our brain chooses to accept these bad habits as normal practices.
"We continue to do that because there is a lack of adverse consequence."
Though we are all apparently bad drivers, it is through identification of individual errors that Chris says will make the roads a safer place.
The technology tracks driving and can tell if you have accelerated too hard, braked too hard, or even cornered too hard.
It will rate drivers and provide employers with scorecards, ranking them from best to worst.
When used in a commercial space, telematics technology can save costs as well as saving lives.
"When you drive safer, you use less tires, you use less fuel, you use less brakes so the servicing costs come down."
Chris summed up telematics by explaining that the bottom line is safety, and while it does save money, educating drivers to practice safer driving is the most important aspect.
"For me, how the data is used is extremely important, it's about using it for the benefit of the drivers, rather than as a problem for them."
Teletrac Navman’s technology is currently used by over 40,000 businesses worldwide and is tracking over 135,000 vehicles in New Zealand and Australia.