GPS can help reduce traffic accidents

WITH the rising concern on road safety and increase in road accidents, Brunei will benefit from the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS), particularly for industries involved in carrying heavy and hazardous contents and vehicles used for the transportation of people.

Maurice Borer of Astrata (B) Sdn Bhd said this in an interview with The Brunei Times recently.

Speaking as the general manager of the multinational company who is the service provider for Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), Borer said that such technology can be applied to Brunei, especially with the country's increasing concern on road safety and climbing statistics on road accidents.

During the interview, Borer focused on vehicle tracking for the benefit of road safety.

According to Borer, BSP has 50 of their carriers fitted with the 'In-Vehicle Monitoring System' (IVMS), which is an intelligent tracking device that allows the vehicle to be located accurately within the range of approximately five metres.

With the device in place, the Shell Transport and Logistic (STL) Department can monitor the vehicles, which are represented by colour-coded points on their web-based visualisation system (digital roadmaps).

Borer added that the system not only tracks the whereabouts of the vehicles but also the speed, incidents of harsh braking and acceleration. The system basically monitors aggressive driving behaviour, he said.

This is important not only for the safety of the drivers, but also to ensure the safety of other road users.

He said that to complement the tracking system, they also set up 'geofences' or zones along the vehicles main route. The zones are designated with certain speed limits. When a vehicle fitted with the IVMS goes over the speed limit for that zone, those at operations and controls can detect this.

Furthermore, if the driver does not slow down, it will be considered a speed violation.

Astrata's client in Brunei includes the Fire and Rescue Department, although the company does not supply the equipment directly to the department. Instead, a local system integrator company was tasked to do the job.

The Fire and Rescue Department has a computer-aided dispatch system, a form of command and control software where, in emergencies, the department will be able to dispatch their closest vehicle to the scene.

Borer also spoke of how Brunei school buses can be fitted with such a tracking device, as evident from the worldwide trend.

The company acknowledges that a lot of governments are now focusing on the safety of school buses carrying children. However, most often the cost of installing such devices get in the way, he added.

"There really is no need for the school to pay for it," he said, using the example of a school in Dubai which has already implemented the technology.

With 600 parents sending their children to school, and with each child assigned to a specific bus, what we can offer parents are the comfort of the use of a password-protected website to log in to see the route of the bus that their children are in, he said.

He further added that each parent will be assigned a password specific to their children's bus route.

Borer said that with that number of parents, relative to only 100 buses, the costs involved can be spread out.

And now with an additional cost of only US$10 per month, these parents can have peace of mind knowing the route of the buses, and they will also be able to monitor cases of traffic violations on the part of the bus drivers, he said.

Borer suggested that due to the simple, straightforward and short period required to obtain a driving license, Brunei could use the system to monitor young drivers for a period of six months at least. The same can be applied to repeat traffic offenders. (RSH1)

The Brunei Times