Iteris and Maverick Report a 65 Percent Reduction in Accidents after Deployment of Lane Departure Warning System
ANAHEIM, Calif.--July 12, 2006--Iteris Inc., a leader in vision-based technologies and Intelligent Transportation Systems that optimize traffic flow and enhance driver safety, today announced that Maverick USA has achieved a 65 percent decrease in lane departure preventable accidents since deploying Iteris' Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system. Lane departure preventable accidents include sideswipe, inadvertent lane changes, and run-off road accidents.Maverick USA, based in Little Rock, Ark., began upgrading the safety of its national fleet of 1,000 trucks with initial deployments of the Iteris LDW technology in December 2004. That year, Maverick's fleet traveled a combined 110 million miles and had a lane departure preventable accident rate of 0.21 per million or one every 4.75 million miles traveled. Trucks currently equipped with Iteris' LDW systems have traveled 40.7 million miles and have experienced a lane departure preventable crash rate of 0.07 per million or one every 13.56 million miles traveled. This represents a decrease of 65 percent, a significant number considering the substantial costs associated with heavy truck crashes.
According to studies conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the average cost of an accident involving a large truck is more than $75,000.
"The investment Maverick made to install Iteris' Lane Departure Warning systems in our trucks has really begun to pay off," said Steve Williams, CEO of Maverick and former American Trucking Association (ATA) chairman. "In just one year, we have seen a dramatic reduction in accidents. Maverick has always been committed to safety, but we are thrilled to see the benefits of deploying the LDW technology so soon. Our drivers are very satisfied with the benefits of the system and our customers have the added assurance that their goods will arrive at destinations safely and on time."
The FMCSA also recently released the results of a study to determine the causes of, and contributing factors to crashes involving large trucks. The study found that over 32 percent of crashes where the truck was at fault were the result of departing from the roadway or crossing over the lane line, making it the single-largest cause of large truck injury and fatal crashes.
Additionally, the study found that in crashes caused by the driver, 40 percent resulted from driver inattention/distraction, fatigue or other physical ailments. These findings strongly validate claims that Iteris has been making for nearly a decade - that its Lane Departure Warning system is an effective crash countermeasure for commercial vehicles.
"Iteris is extremely pleased that Maverick has achieved such a significant return on their investment while receiving support from drivers who continue to advocate use of the system," said Jack Johnson, president and CEO for Iteris. "We believe these findings make a strong case for fleets considering our LDW system as a viable safety technology designed to reduce accidents, improve driver safety and retention and increase profitability."
Iteris' LDW system was the first of its kind to be deployed in the commercial truck and passenger car markets and it still remains the only vision-based system in mass production in the U.S. and Europe.
Over 24,000 LDW systems have been sold for commercial truck platforms in the U.S. and Europe with an estimated billion miles traveled per year. In the U.S., there are currently 33 fleets specifying Iteris' LDW system with a combined fleet size of 13,900 trucks and another 54 fleets with approximately 105,000 trucks conducting field tests.
About Iteris Inc.
Iteris Inc. is a leading provider of outdoor vision systems and sensors that optimize the flow of traffic and enhance driver safety. Iteris combines outdoor image processing, traffic engineering, and information technology to offer a broad range of transportation and safety solutions. Iteris has headquarters in Anaheim. Investors are encouraged to contact the company at 714-774-5000, or at www.iteris.com.