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This story appears in the December 2014/January 2015 issue of iTECH, published in the Dec. 15 print edition of Transport Topics.

When drivers adopt driving habits that increase fuel efficiency, the added benefit is that safety improves. And it works both ways. “We’ve had customers over the years tell us how their fuel efficiency improved with efforts to drive more safely,” said Del Lisk of Lytx. “There’s no question that there’s a parallel between safe driving and fuel-efficient driving.”

One way that fuel-efficient driving techniques promote safety is through the effort to avoid hard braking, which leads drivers to constantly seek to maintain a good distance from the vehicle ahead. In terms of safety, having that distance ensures that there’s more time to react to sudden events. Without that distance, the result could mean standing on the brakes.

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“Their eyes are focused on scanning further down the road, with a heightened sense of forward awareness, primarily because of almost never wanting to hit the brakes in a nonemergency event,” said Jeff Baer of LinkeDrive. “They learn to create space ahead of the truck and preserve it.”

When drivers focus on fuel efficiency, they’re more attentive in general, and this also promotes safety. “Engaged drivers are safer drivers,” Baer said. “Devices and technologies that allow drivers to pay less attention mean less-engaged drivers, and these drivers are more likely to have accidents.”

“We’re seeing significant improvement on the safety side,” said David Daniels of May Trucking. “Our safety ratings with our ZFuel group are off the charts. Everything about safety is awareness, so if you’re aware about fuel economy, you’re aware about your driving skills; you’re aware about everything.”