The Hawthorne Effect
By Bruce Moeller - CEO, DriveCam

Have you ever driven along a busy freeway and noticed the traffic flow slow considerably or appear to be impeded by something that affected all lanes traveling in a particular direction? You expect to see road construction or an accident, only to eventually spot a police car driving along at the posted speed limit. Finally the patrol car exits the freeway and we go back to speeding, tailgating, weaving and otherwise driving normally.

This phenomenon is an example of a part of human behavioral science called the Hawthorne Effect.

The Hawthorne Effect is a well-known and often repeated story of a young production line supervisor several decades ago who was in charge of an assembly line at the Western Electric Plant in Cicero, Illinois. When the supervisor first took over his new responsibilities of supervising the assembly line there, he noted that the lighting in and around the production line was sparse and dingy, making it hard to see the work.

He decided to brighten the work area in order to increase production. After introducing more light, he was pleased to find that indeed his theory appeared correct and production increased nicely with the added light.

Read more to find out how you can test the Hawthorne Effect >>>
Five Keys to Successful Driver Risk Management
C-O-A-C-H
By Del Lisk - Vice President of Safety Services, DriveCam

As part of DriveCam's Safety Services team, I have had the pleasure to visit many of the fleets which manage the 35,000 vehicles using DriveCam equipment. Although each fleet is different, there are common steps many of the most successful organizations have taken to make best use of the DriveCam Driver Risk Management Solution and reduce traffic collisions. I've chosen COACH as an acronym to highlight these steps because these fleets have positioned the program as a management tool designed to coach drivers and foster driver behavior improvement as opposed to a tool used to penalize drivers.

C level support is key
O pen communication with employees is crucial
A pplication of the process must be constant and consistent
C lear set of positive and negative consequences must exist
H ave someone monitoring and measuring program managers

Are you COACHing? Learn more >>>
DriveCam Academy:
May 18 - Las Vegas, Nevada
Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino

The next DriveCam Academy training course will be held on May 18, 2006, at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The DriveCam Academy is a one day course that provides advanced training on improving driving behavior using the DriveCam system. The course is taught by Del Lisk, DriveCam's vice president of safety services.

The course includes:

  • Analyzing DriveCam video clips
  • Determining accident preventability
  • Counseling and coaching drivers
  • Effective driver training strategies
  • And much more

    Enrollment is limited to 25, so register early. For questions about the Academy, please call our DriveCam corporate office at (866) 419-5861 or email academy@drivecam.com.

    To register for the event:

    Please download and fax this completed form to:
    DriveCam Academy Registration at (858) 430-4001.
    You will receive a confirmation upon receipt of your paid registration.

    • DriveCam at Industry Events

    Look for DriveCam at the following industry events

    April 23-27 - RIMS 2006 - Honolulu
    June 11-14 - PRIMA 2006 - Las Vegas
    June 20-22 - FedFleet 2006 - Los Angeles

    DriveCam in the News

    On Tuesday, March 15, a DriveCam event recorder captured the effects leading up to and during a horrific accident in the Long Island LIE involving an out of control 18-wheeler, a Classic Transportation bus, and an Audi TT. Fortunately and unbelievably, there were no casualties. Though the Audi driver had no recollection of the event, he sustained only minor injuries. DriveCam documented the event and proved that the bus driver was not at fault. Following are excerpts from the news coverage.

    CBS News
    DriveCam CEO Bruce Moeller, "I can't imagine trying to reconstruct what happened from just eyewitnesses or from memory with almost no time at all to react?If I were an insurance company, I don't think I'd have any vehicle out there without this on it, because there are millions of dollars that are at stake here in accident reconstruction and litigation costs, and try to decide who is at fault, and more importantly than all of that, it to avoid it in the first place."

    NBC Today
    Crash Survivor says he was in shock. A device called the DriveCam is showing how accidents occur. Bruce Moeller says it tells you the truth.

    ABC World News Tonight
    Usually after an accident, police rely on eyewitnesses to figure out what happened. But in this crash? they had something else.

    "It can alert a driver, they're not driving safely. And after the event, show drivers what they did wrong. They learn to drive the less abruptly and less severely. They look ahead. They don't tailgate. They don't swerve. They don't do the things that would cause the camera to trigger. The bus company involved in yesterday's crash, says DriveCam has cut its accident rate by more than 60%."

    CNN American Morning
    In every single case DriveCam has had a minimum of a 30% reduction in accidents and incidents.

    View the Videos >>>