I recall a time when we focused intensely on crime issues such as truck hijackings and theft. We then saw a pending disaster facing this industry in the form of HIV/AIDS and we moved our focus to that - with great impact and results. FleetWatch has been commended for been instrumental in raising the awareness levels of the industry around this issue.

One safety issue we also feel strongly about is drinking and driving and we have tried to push awareness levels up via various campaigns aimed at management, truck drivers and the wider public. In partnership first with Shell and last year with Engen - and both times with the DoT - FleetWatch harnessed the power of the truckers via national campaigns which saw thousands of trucks bearing the Don't Drink & Drive message to the public.

However, our feeling is that this phrase is being seen as hackneyed by people out there and yet is one which should be constantly driven home - for it remains a huge problem and a killer on our roads. One company which focusses on doing just this is Doculam and we lift out hats to them for continuing to press for solutions - often in the face of overwhelming odds.

Two reasons for involvement
Doculam is the SA market leader in the supply of breath alcohol detection instrumentation and, according to Doculam's marketing consultant, Grant Stewart, has been involved with Minister Dullah Omar and his Arrive Alive campaign for two major reasons.

"The first and most important is from a community based drunk driving awareness perspective. As more people are made aware of new technologies being used in law enforcement activities, so the greater the motivation not to transgress the law," he says.

The technology in question is the AlcoTech "Sniffer" Torch and Doculam has sponsored 100 of these units to all the provinces over high risk and high volume holiday periods. The unit is encapsulated into a torch casing and tests drivers for alcohol by sampling their breath while they are talking.

The test is generally done without driver knowledge and the deterrent factor is obviously that drivers begin to assume that any torch could be a breathalyser! The units have proved very efficient and in some cases, an increase of between 40-60% in identification of possible drunk drivers has been achieved.

The second reason for Doculam's involvement is that the Arrive Alive campaign forms a integral part of AlcoTech brand awareness and product credibility. The AlcoTech range includes hand held testers, high volume screeners as well as evidential print out units.

"The trend is most definitely to use high volume screeners and then undertake more accurate testing using evidential test units. High volume screeners, such as the AlcoTech AlcoScan can test up to four people per minute allowing many subjects to be tested with minor inconvenience to employees/drivers," says Stewart.

Educational workshops
However, Doculam is not only involved in supplying breathalysers which 'catch out' drunken drivers. The company is also committed to the vitally important aspect of educating and in this regard, runs a series of alcohol workshops every three months which generally take place in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

The theme of the workshops revolves around alcohol in the workplace and the various ways of eradicating the alcohol hazard within the ambit of applicable legislation. The workshops have been run successfully for over 18 months due to the demand for simple, practical and up-to-date information on legislation, the drafting of alcohol policies and policy implementation.

"Many of our customers have large staff compliments with each company having their own operating dynamic. From general transport companies to petroleum refineries, many have large rigs or delivery vehicles, all have drivers and all are concerned about the ever increasing trend of workplace or vehicle based alcohol abuse," says Elayne Tranter, Doculam's CEO, adding that through these workshops, Doculam aims to educate companies on effective ways of combating the problem or, in some cases, ensuring that a good safety record stays that way!

Another important benefit of the workshops is that representatives of various companies in related fields can share their problems, common concerns and most importantly, solutions. Often this inter-communication between labour and management representatives from different companies creates solution designs more applicable and practical than isolated thinking.

Potential breakthrough
Ever on the lookout for new methods of combating the problem of drinking and driving, Doculam is now involved in a project which FleetWatch sees as holding the potential of being a major breakthrough for trucking companies. Called the Ignition Interlock, it is a device fitted to a truck that will prevent ignition of the truck if the driver is over the limit.

Doculam has been involved in the preliminary set-up of this service in SA in coordination with the Canadian and US government's suppliers of the instrumentation. Although the technology is used in various environments, transport fleets are a major target - both from a safety and insurance point of view. How it works is as follows:

The driver enters the vehicle and starts the ignition sequence. At this point, he is asked to produce a breath sample. If the sample is clear, ignition takes place. If he fails the test, the vehicle is immobilised. After that, he will then be given an opportunity every 30 minutes to re-attempt ignition and only when the device gives the all-clear, will ignition take place. And it doesn't stop there...

Once the vehicle is moving, a random sample will be called for according to an internal system setting which could be set for every 10, 20, 45 minutes or even every two or four hours. Should the driver fail a sample test while the vehicle is moving, an immobilisation sequence will begin with a warning that allows the driver approximately 10 minutes to stop the vehicle. After this, immobilisation takes place automatically. At no time is the safety of the driver or the vehicle compromised through the immobilisation sequence.

According to Stewart, the unit can be leased per vehicle and fitment and maintenance centers are planned to support the units on a national basis. And if you're worrying about drivers getting around the system, he says you needn't be as the units are designed around a tough working environment with many built in features that prohibit system circumvention.

FACT: The deadly combination of alcohol and driving is a problem.
FACT: The problem is bigger than most companies care to admit.
FACT: The problem is costing you, the transport operator, money.
FACT: You can do something to kill the problem rather than have the problem kill your driver and other road users.