As fleet operators face rising insurance costs, increasing regulatory scrutiny and continued pressure to improve efficiency, many are investing in connected vehicle technologies to enhance driver safety and reduce operational risk. By combining telematics with driver behaviour data and incentives, these solutions are helping businesses lower collision rates while delivering measurable cost savings. Geotab, the connected vehicle and asset management solution provider, has helped Richfords in this way by reducing their fleet collision risk by 22% and achieving a return on investment (ROI) of 411% following the deployment of Geotab Vitality.
Richfords, a specialist fire and flood restoration provider headquartered in Redruth, Cornwall, with depots in Bracknell, Cullompton and the Midlands, has been a Geotab® customer since 2018. The business introduced Geotab Vitality through a two-month pilot in October 2025 with around 20 drivers, before rolling the programme out across its full 53-vehicle fleet in January 2026.
Geotab Vitality integrates directly with the existing Geotab platform, providing each driver with a personalised scorecard updated in near-real time. The system measures key risk factors including speeding, harsh braking, cornering and harsh acceleration. Drivers progress through Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers, earning points that can be redeemed for rewards such as weekly coffee vouchers and retail gift cards.
The impact was immediate. Drivers in the pilot group improved safe driving behaviours by 53% within the first 30 days, demonstrating the power of near-instant feedback. Following the full fleet rollout, Richfords recorded further significant improvements, including a 73% reduction in harsh cornering, 61% in speeding, 55% in harsh braking and 48% in harsh acceleration.
Collision risk — already below comparable fleet benchmarks — fell by a further 22%, according to Geotab’s Predictive Collision Risk algorithm, with fleet data showing a clear step-change following full deployment.
Our previous approach didn’t give drivers timely insight… Drivers were often only becoming aware of issues weeks after they occurred, making it harder for them to remember the specific incidents and adjust their behaviour straight away. We needed drivers to have visibility of their own performance in real time, rather than relying on a manager to highlight what had already happened.
said Sheena Owen, Fleet Manager at Richfords Fire & Flood.
This shift to near-immediate, driver data quickly changed behaviour. One driver who had previously been repeatedly flagged for speeding in reports recorded zero speeding incidents during his first month on the programme—prompting colleagues outside the pilot group to actively request inclusion.
Adoption across the wider fleet was equally seamless.
We’ve introduced systems in the past where we’ve had to guide people through every step… With Geotab Vitality, drivers were downloading the app and getting started independently from day one. When a rollout is that frictionless, it becomes something drivers take ownership of, rather than something being imposed on them.
said Philippa Richford, Business Systems Manager at Richfords Fire & Flood.
Richfords demonstrates what’s possible when driver safety is treated as a personal performance conversation rather than a compliance exercise. Moving from delayed reporting to putting near-real-time data in the hands of the driver fundamentally changes their level of engagement. The results, particularly the sustained reduction in collision risk since January, shows what’s possible when that shift takes hold.
Steve Lockington, Chief Executive Officer of Geotab Vitality, added.
