Fleet managers, who have a team traveling daily on the roads, as well as the drivers themselves, are well aware of how much the quality of unpaved roads in Brazil leaves something to be desired. Daily, a series of challenges are faced due to the lack of road infrastructure. There are unpaved stretches, with poor paving, holes, unevenness, lack of shoulder, among other bottlenecks.
A survey by the National Transport Confederation points out that only 12,4% of the entire road network is paved in Brazil. To get an idea of what this represents, for every 1.000 km² of road area, 25,1 km is paved. Among the paved roads, 30,6% are federal and 69,4% state.
As a result, fleet drivers face several risks and setbacks, which directly impact the pace of work, quality of life and safety.
Drivers must be extra careful
Imagine driving kilometers and kilometers of roads, with holes, unevenness in the track, among other difficulties typical of unpaved roads. This directly impacts transport time and the optimization of the entire work chain.
The challenges imposed by unpaved roads, increase fuel consumption, the need for vehicle maintenance, reduce the useful life of cars, among other factors that increase the costs involved with the fleet, and require managers to adopt a differentiated posture and logistics. Drivers, in turn, need to adopt a series of special precautions to overcome the challenges imposed by this fateful reality, such as: increased attention, speed balance, steering wheel stability, maintenance of tire and vehicle calibration strictly up to date.
Risk of accidents on unpaved roads is worrying
Of all, what worries most is the fact that drivers expose their lives when circulating on unpaved roads. The risk of accidents increases considerably under these conditions. Survey of DPVAT Insurance (Personal Damage Caused by Motor Vehicles by Land), shows that in 2020, drivers were the main victims of accidents, representing 59% of the total. Among compensation for death, they represented 55% and, among victims with permanent sequelae, 56%.
The data could be different if the reality of the roads were better in Brazil. And, as you can see, drivers are the biggest losers. Concomitant with the scrapping of Brazilian highways, fleets increase in the country. As a result, the number of vehicles on the road is growing.
In addition, most of the paved roads are single lane and are evaluated by users as fair or bad, as pointed out by the National Transport Confederation. The signaling and geometry of the roads also do not present good ratings. The result of the combination of these factors is an overload of the network and an increase in the risk of accidents.
Drivers must be aware, as well as very well oriented.
How to solve the problem and circumvent the risks of unpaved roads?
There is an urgent need to invest in the recovery and maintenance of the existing road infrastructure, boosting economic growth and increasing the safety of those who travel daily across Brazil. Expanding resources for Brazilian highways and improving the application of the available budget are of paramount importance.
The solution to national logistical problems involves, in addition to public policy, the need for greater participation of the private sector in the provision of road infrastructure services.
While waiting for effective improvements, fleet managers must seek ways to minimize the impacts and risks faced by drivers in the face of the reality of unpaved roads. One way, without a doubt, is to increase the use of state-of-the-art technologies, using tools that contribute to time optimization, better cost and resource management and that offer driver behavior indicators, with speed control, with a direct impact in security.
O Golfleet Telemetry is an interesting alternative, guaranteeing the manager access to all this information through detailed and dynamic reports. The Speed by Road module, for example, verifies how drivers behave in relation to road speed, in accordance with the rules of urban and road inspection bodies. Thus, the manager can make important decisions in his management.
Safety culture must be a priority
Another extremely important aspect, which must be combined with the use of technologies, is the implementation of a solid security culture. It is necessary to determine the necessary and expected standards and attitudes, to minimize risks and ensure everyone's safety, better avoiding challenges, such as unpaved highways.
For the safety culture to be effective and have effects in practice, it must be disseminated with emphasis. It is important to invest in chats, courses, training, internal communications and to look for ways of stimulating, such as recognizing the driver who has a safe behavior. After all, the value of life must be the highest purpose. Ever.
Now, fleet manager, tell us: how much do the problems faced by unpaved roads impact your drivers' routine? What have you been doing to minimize the risks?
As we saw previously, a telemetry system is the ideal solution to achieve efficiency and safety objectives in your operation. Therefore, check out a complete and free eBook and discover the full potential of the tool:
