Most driver safety programs lean on enforcement. Violations get flagged, managers get notified, and behavior changes — or it doesn’t. But one electric utility took a different path: better data, consistent reporting,and a focus on awareness over accountability. The result? Speeding violations cut nearly in half. No disciplinary action required.
That was the challenge facing one electric utility. Prior to 2023, the organization relied on a GPS solution that provided limited and inconsistent data, making it difficult to accurately identify and validate risky driving behaviors. Without reliable insights, there was little visibility into fleet-wide trends, no standardized reporting process, and limited ability to use safety data as a tool for improvement.
In March 2023, the utility upgraded to a more reliable telematics solution and began using data to understand driver behavior at scale. Early findings flagged an unexpected volume of speeding events. Rather than counting violations, the team made a deliberate choice: measure miles driven in violation instead. It’s a more accurate picture of risk — and a harder number to game.
The utility built a reporting program around a simple principle: giving supervisors consistent, reliable data and let awareness do the work. Early on, that meant manually compiling and distributing reports —four to five hours a week. In 2024, a partnership with Utilimarc, a Smith System company, automated the entire process. Reports were standardized across the organization, manual effort was eliminated, and safety insights reached managers faster than ever.
The numbers tell the story. Miles driven while speeding dropped 32%. Speeding violation counts fell 21%. Average monthly violations went from roughly 19,000 to 9,800 — nearly halved. And 4–5 hours of weekly manual reporting effort? Gone.
Perhaps most notably, these improvements were achieved without relying on disciplinary action. Instead, the program focused on transparency, engagement, and providing stakeholders with reliable information that could drive better decision making.
This is what the data to drive different looks like in practice. If your fleet is still measuring violations without measuring miles, you may be missing the full picture. Read the full case study to see how visibility alone changed the game — and what it could mean for your fleet.
Read the full case study here: Utility Improves Driver Safety Through Data Visibility and Reporting