OAKLAND, Calif., April 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- eDrivingSM, the largest global provider of online driver risk reduction and training solutions, has released the first, patented, "closed loop" smartphone telematics solution for fleet drivers – MentorSM by eDriving. The highly anticipated product measures and scores driving behavior and delivers tailored driver training straight to smartphones, tablets and computers. The Mentor product launch also marks the debut of a transformational industry standard risk predictor for both businesses and consumers – the FICO® Safe Driving Score.
Mentor with FICO® Safe Driving Score
Mentor assesses and scores a driver's behavior using a proprietary, predictive analytics platform to generate a FICO® Safe Driving Score. The score is calculated after each trip and over time, providing both immediate feedback as well as longer-term trending and benchmarking analysis. Much like the FICO® Score is the standard measure of consumer credit risk used throughout the credit ecosystem, the FICO® Safe Driving Score, which uses driving behaviors, provides a measure that facilitates consistency and fairness in driver safety assessment.
In addition to data capture, analysis and scoring, Mentor prescribes a "playlist" of engaging interactive training interventions, as well as tips, reminders and progress reports customized for each driver based on his or her on-road performance. Licensed instructors from eDriving's Behind the Wheel Training Division can provide an additional level of feedback, tips and support via virtual live coaching.
Product Goals – A Driving Fitness Coach
Mentor is aimed at tackling the attitudes and behaviors causing 94% of collisions and incidents by drawing on the best practices used by some of the most effective models in weight-loss, fitness and behavioral change programs. Mentor combines these models with the research-backed driver improvement approaches eDriving has developed and proven through Fortune 150 clients worldwide over two decades. In addition to personalized engagement for each driver, Mentor includes visibility for managers to help reinforce and motivate progress. The patented (Mentor is protected by U.S. Patent No. 6,714,894) closed-loop, continuous improvement model, is the most powerful tool available for organizations to establish an effective culture of safety and accountability. Mentor helps employees focus on the habits, actions and behaviors that may put themselves and others at risk on the road and even prevent them from arriving home safely to their loved ones. The ultimate goal is to measurably reduce risk and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for fleets of all sizes.
"We've essentially created a fitness program for drivers," said Celia Stokes, CEO of eDriving. "Mentor shifts the smartphone from distracted driving culprit to cure. Personal relevance, engaging content, and competition bordering on what we like to call 'shamification' is a powerful combination. It is thrilling to watch the effect of these elements truly changing how people are driving. We see it in their scores and hear it in hallway conversations. Mentor breaks through in a way that no amount of training or policy alone accomplishes. Heads of companies appreciate results-driven behavior modification and we're confident heads of households will too as we roll out to additional audiences."
Beta Testing & Product Adoption
Initial beta testing of Mentor by eDriving reveals a high degree of engagement with the product and the distinct tiers of the FICO® Safe Driving Scores from employees who drive company-owned cars as part of their work. This level of engagement signals both the ability to mitigate risk and the desire to continuously and measurably improve driving ability even by those most capable and responsible behind the wheel.
"The pace of innovation in the fleet safety industry is unprecedented, and Mentor is in the forefront as a highly scalable solution built for, and informed by, global leaders in the safety space. It's an incredible opportunity for organizations of all sizes around the world looking for an effective and cost-efficient way to address risk management that can be rolled out in a matter of minutes," added Ed Dubens, EVP of eDriving Fleet division.
Advisory Board
Also announced today is the formation of an Advisory Board to help guide the evolution of Mentor. As it leads the way in establishing effective behavioral change and a ubiquitous industry standard for measuring driver performance and risk, eDriving and FICO are working with key industry players to ensure maximum relevance to the insurance industry and to key global road safety players.
The Advisory Board members represent a vast proportion of the insured population in the world, including the heads of risk engineering and underwriting for some of the world's largest insurance companies. The Board also includes representatives from large multinational corporations with significant numbers of corporate drivers and universities focused on road safety and brain science research related to cognitive distraction.
Newly named eDriving Advisory Board member Paul Atchley, Ph.D., a renowned cognitive scientist and professor at the University of Kansas, commented, "Mentor takes a holistic approach to flagging and addressing driving behavior and advances the clarity that comes with having an intrinsic industry standard as a marker or measure. The truth is we're wired to underestimate risk and we can all be better at one of the riskiest things we do over the course of a lifetime and one of the most difficult to accurately insure against."
Stokes added a sentiment she has shared in multiple, published opinion pieces, "As was the case with banning smoking in workplaces, Mentor is an important step forward in what needs to be an all-out, across-the-board, comprehensive effort. There is a huge gap between how good drivers think they are, and how good they actually are. That is why employer-mandated change and breakthrough tools like Mentor may be just the intervention we need to encourage, reinforce behavioral shifts, and create new norms. Having both your life and livelihood on the line is a convincing combination."
NAFA Institute & Expo
eDrivingSM and the newly released Mentor will be showcased with hands-on opportunities to explore the app at the 2017 NAFA Institute & Expo in Booth #435. To request an executive interview and/or demo, please contact Press@edriving.com
About eDriving
eDriving is the largest provider of online driver training and global driver risk management with more than 10 million U.S. consumer customers to date and over 700,000 fleet drivers served this year alone. In addition to providing state-regulated online novice driver training and online driver improvement courses (a.k.a. traffic school), its focus is on helping drivers become smarter and safer behind the wheel in close partnership with corporations, fleet services, and insurance companies. The Fleet division provides the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of driver risk reduction programs, which are validated by large-scale research studies, refined over our 20+ years of experience with some of the world's largest blue-chip corporations, and backed by 40 case studies, 60 published research papers and over 70 global safety awards. eDriving's mission is to address the 94% of collisions and incidents caused by driver attitude and behavior through the use of technology and online learning expertise. We empower smarter, more reliable, more deliberate drivers. For more, visit www.edriving.com.
SOURCE eDriving