Commercial fleet industry witnesses reduction in accidents using Intel’s AI based platform

Technology is making its way in each and every sector, however, the automotive sector is seeing drastic changes. Apart from replacing the internal combustion engine with more powerful, and efficient electric vehicles, there are many more technologies that are bringing a new wave of change in the automotive industry.

Being safer on the roads is one of the key areas where technology is playing an important role. India has one of the highest rates of traffic accidents in the world. Even though it has just 1 percent of the world’s vehicles, India recorded 1.5 lakh road accident fatalities in 2020, which is 26.37 percent of the global total. There are 17 deaths every hour and an accident every minute on Indian roads, where most of the victims are young and primary wage earners for their families. Now, more than ever, it is imperative for technology and transportation providers, vehicle makers, academia, and the government to work cohesively to find the root cause and address the problem of road safety. A safety-first approach can significantly advance MoRTH’s goal of reducing the number of road accidents and fatalities by 50 percent by 2025.

The commercial fleet industry suffers efficiency losses up to INR 48,000 crore per year due to accidents and fleet breakdowns. However, six out of 10 accidents involving commercial fleets can be prevented with timely driver interventions. Harnessing the capabilities of advanced technologies such as ADAS, AI, IoT, etc. can drive significant operational efficiencies, add local innovations for the Indian fleet market, and save lives on the road.

While there seems to be a consensus on road and driving conditions in India are the most challenging for technologies like ADAS to work, tech giant Intel has developed an AI powered fleet safety solution designed exclusively for Indian conditions. The Intel Onboard Fleet Services is a comprehensive solution, powered by a portfolio of in-cabin devices which offers an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) from Mobileye, Collision Avoidance Systems (CAS), Driver Monitoring Systems, fleet telematics, fleet health, and fuel efficiency features. The solution also comes with a state-of-the-art cloud portal that includes actionable insights, analytics, and reports for fleet managers that can help improve overall efficiency, enable preventive maintenance, and reduce operating costs.

“Road safety, especially in India where the highest rate of road accidents in the world takes place, is a pressing issue. In our pursuit to achieve Zero road accidents in India, we have been working together with our ecosystem collaborators, government, industry, and academia to implement cutting-edge technology solutions using AI, IoT, ADAS, to enable smarter and safer transportation for all. Intel® Onboard Fleet Services, which is designed for Indian conditions, is a major step towards enhancing road safety in the country that enables the commercial fleet drivers and operators to conduct safe and efficient operations, thereby, helping in achieving India’s road safety goals.” - Kishore Ramisetty, Vice President, Intel Foundry Services, General Manager, Vertical Solutions and Services Group, Intel.

SureGroup, a long-haul fleet operator in India with a fleet size of 125 trucks, was one of the first adopters of the technology, and currently, more than 55 of their trucks are equipped with Intel Onboard Fleet Services. The company sees technology such as Collision Avoidance Systems as essential to improved turnaround times and safer cargo for its customers. They leverage the data and analytics provided by Intel’s solution to create an individualized and personalized coaching plan.

Ramratan Singhi, Founder & CEO, Sure Group said - “We used to see 20-25 major accidents in a year, which was setting us back over INR 5 Lac per accident. Therefore, we adopted Intel® Onboard Fleet Services in 55 of our 125 vehicles, and now, we are down to three minor accidents and zero major accidents in last 6 months. Apart from evasive action by drivers to avoid collisions, we now also have access to critical information on drivers’ driving behaviours and patterns which has tremendously helped us with actionable insights. We see an ROI for such investments being less than 12 months.”

Post its rollout, SureGroup has witnessed a 70 percent reduction in road accidents, and this takes the group closer to its target of slashing transit damage by 10x. They plan to expand their fleet to 220 trucks by the end of the year and expect 100 percent of their trucks to be equipped with safety technologies like Collision Avoidance Systems, Driver Monitoring Systems, etc.

16 customers such as Sure Group Logistics, GoBOLT, Sankyu India Logistics, Allanasons, etc. across sectors such as HAZMAT, Cold Chain, Third-Party Logistics (3PL), and Employee Transport are already deploying this solution.