How’s my driving?

Established in May 2001, by Tom O’Sullivan, How’s My Driving? is an Irish owned company that provides a driver monitoring service for Irish companies and anyone who entrusts someone else to drive their vehicle(s).

Tom O'Sullivan exudes the benefits of How's My Driving? to Kieran Crowley, chairman of the Small Firms Association

Subscribers attach a highly visible tamper proof vehicle sign to the back of their vehicle, which displays a unique vehicle identifier and a low cost 1850 telephone number that invites other road users to call and comment on the behaviour of the driver. All calls to How’s My Driving? are answered by a live operator who takes the number of the caller and immediately returns the call to authenticate the caller and eliminate nuisance and unfounded calls.

The caller is led through a detailed interview that captures the time, location, vehicle details and driving conditions as well as detailed incident details and other comments. The report is entered into the HMD? database in real-time and then forwarded to the subscriber by e-mail or fax. The loop is closed when the driver is informed of the incident report and appropriate measures are taken to prevent repeat occurrences.

The How’s My Driving? vehicle signs provide an effective deterrent to drivers to drive unsafely, recklessly or discourteously as they know that if they do their manager will hear about it. How’s My Driving? is a simple, affordable and very effective programme that is proven to reduce accidents, improve the driving behaviour and the road safety of participating drivers.

Gary Owens of Hibernian Insurance has Tom O'Sullivan and Kieran Crowley in his sights

A recent customer survey, which asked for information on the total number of reportable incidents and value of the resultant insurance claims for the period since implementing How’s My Driving? and for a similar period immediately prior to joining the programme shows some very impressive results. Accident rates involving insurance claims were reduced by a staggering 76% while the value of claims were reduced by 84%.

There are currently over 800 individual vehicles nationwide displaying the How’s My Driving? vehicle sign from various different industries. How’s My Driving? counts among it’s customers the following fleets - TV3 Ireland, Pat the Baker, 98FM, Thornton’s Waste Disposal, The Bowen Group and Johnson, Mooney & O’Brien.

Interestingly, the company says that last year, 20% of calls received were actually compliments. Of the other calls 65% were complaints the majority being of a serious nature, 7% were reports of obstructive and unsafe parking of vehicles and 8% were reports of brake lights not working or the unsafe condition of a load on the vehicle.

Kieran Crowley, Small Firms Association, Minister of Transport Seamus Brennan and Tom O'Sullivan of How's My Driving? get to the point

The How’s My Driving? programme was recently awarded with the 2003 National Safety Council Endeavour ‘Open’ Award. This award was presented to the How’s My Driving? programme in recognition of it’s success in promoting better road safety through greater driver accountability and reducing road traffic accidents.

One of the big benefits of HMD? to companies, aside from making their drivers drive more carefully, is that by displaying a HMD? vehicle sign on their vehicles they are visibly showing their commitment to reducing their risk, managing the occupational risk of their drivers, and taking responsibility for their actions. The cost to subscribe one vehicle to the HMD? programme for one year is £47.50 plus VAT.

To date the How’s My Driving? program has received support from Hibernian Insurance, Axa, Allianz and FBD Insurance. Hibernian Insurance will subsidise the cost of any of it’s motor fleet clients to subscribe the How’s My Driving? programme by 25% with a view to it having a positive effect on the subscribers insurance premiums.

For more information please contact Tom O’Sullivan, Managing Director on 01-6678691 or visit www.howsmydriving.ie