Backseat driver keeps armed forces in line

The UK's armed forces are to get an electronic backseat driver aimed at saving lives on the road.

The GreenRoad Technologies box will record 120 different driving manoeuvres and tell military drivers where they are going wrong.

The GreenRoad Safety Center will be installed in 200 vehicles belonging to the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force across the UK as part of a six-month trial to improve road safety.

The in-vehicle sensor tracks and analyses driving styles and then gives drivers feedback about their motoring and areas that need improvement.

The system can even chide or reward drivers on the fly with red, yellow or green LEDs in the vehicle.

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Ministry of Defence (MoD) road safety officer Major Shepherd said: "As part of our commitment to duty of care, we have an obligation for the safety of all MoD personnel - whether they are drivers or passengers."

For the first three months of the study, Safety Center will collect 'blind' test information on approximately 2,000 MoD drivers.

These figures will be used to analyse current driving behaviour and compare them across different parts of the organisation.

For the final three months, GreenRoad will set up accounts for transport managers allowing them to provide regular feedback to drivers in their unit.

The technology has been shown to reduce accidents by an average of 54 per cent and lowered accident costs by an average of 65 per cent.