SAN DIEGO, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BevOps Booth #112 - Coca-Cola Consolidated has a lot at stake when their teammates leave the distribution center. In addition to a full load of liquid refreshment, they're charged with protecting brands that rank among the most valuable in the world. They also have another job to do, and that's protecting the people with whom they share the roads and themselves.

Connecting to the Community It Serves

Coke Consolidated is the country's largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, serving 64 million consumers spanning 16 states. The company expresses a strong commitment to its communities, but that doesn't happen on its own. It takes allies like Lytx(®), the maker of the DriveCam(®) video safety program, the gold standard in helping fleets improve safe driving.

When Coke Consolidated's Senior Director of Risk Management, Mark Byers, first started talking with Lytx about adopting the DriveCam video safety program, he wasn't entirely sure he needed it.

"Our collision frequency rate was good," he said. "We have a very strong safety culture, both for teammates and for public safety." But Byers thought that in the spirit of pursuing excellence, the DriveCam program would be worth trialing. He and his team implemented the program at three Coke Consolidated locations, involving 200 drivers and 115 vehicle assets.

"I found out that DriveCam gave us more opportunities for improvement than I would have imagined," Byers said. The DriveCam trial revealed challenges with late response, distracted driving, and adequate following distance, all of which increase risk of collisions if left untended.

Part of a Defined Transportation Strategy: Building Drivers' Skills

From a risk management perspective, Byers said that DriveCam helps Coke Consolidated identify and follow trends in driving behavior results to further identify and improve transportation strategies related to drivers as well as equipment. "Accidents are very disruptive to our teammates, management and other parties involved," he said.

For the women and men behind the wheel of Coke Consolidated's more than 3,300 delivery vehicles, driving is only part of their job. But while they also deliver and merchandise the products in the marketplace, improving their safe driving skills is central to the successful execution of their duties.

"The DriveCam system is a tool that gives us the visibility we need to support and develop our drivers," said Byers. "By improving the driving skills of our drivers, we can reduce the number of collisions that occur in the marketplace. Every collision we can avoid or mitigate improves our operational productivity and reduces unnecessary expenses."

Following the trial, Byers said his fleet experienced double-digit improvements in critical driving behaviors they targeted for improvement. And while Coke Consolidated already had a low collision frequency, the DriveCam program helped pinpoint and extract even more collision risk, powering a 27 percent reduction in frequency and a 25 percent reduction in severity of unsafe driving behaviors.

Pinpointing Risk Within The Fleet

Coke Consolidated has chosen a deliberate approach to the roll-out of the DriveCam program, taking the first six months to facilitate communication, education and processes to make the most of program.

"We will be implementing DriveCam at 28 locations," said Byers. "Our objective is to return our drivers home safely each day. The DriveCam system gives us the ability to recognize coaching opportunities and provide the appropriate level of training to ensure a driver's further development and success."

The DriveCam program helps Byers' team pinpoint the drivers who represented the most risk in the fleet, aiming coaching resources where they're needed most. It also helps them identify exceptional drivers who earn gift cards and t-shirts that spotlight their good performance.

About Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
Coke Consolidated is the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Our Purpose is to honor God, serve others, pursue excellence and grow profitably. For 115 years, we have been deeply committed to the consumers, customers, and communities we serve and passionate about the broad portfolio of beverages and services we offer. We make, sell and distribute beverages of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies in more than 300 brands and flavors across 16 states to over 64 million consumers.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Coke Consolidated is traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol COKE. More information about the company is available at www.cokeconsolidated.com. Follow Coke Consolidated on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Lytx
At Lytx(®) we harness the power of video and data to facilitate safe driving behavior and help good companies become even better. Our flagship product, Lytx DriveCam(®) sets the standard for driver safety in the industries we serve, and our RAIR(®) Compliance Services helps DOT-regulated fleets comply with safety regulations, complementing the DriveCam(®) Program. Lytx ActiveVision(®) service helps fleets detect and address distracted and drowsy driving, both in real time and over time. We help protect more than 2,200 clients worldwide who drive billions of miles each year. We enable our clients to realize significant ROI by lowering operating and insurance costs, while achieving greater efficiency and compliance. Most of all, we strive to help save lives - on our roads and in our communities, every day. Lytx is privately held and headquartered in San Diego. For more information, visit www.lytx.com, @lytx on Twitter, or on our YouTube channel.

Contact:
Lytx
Gretchen Griswold
858.926.2445
ggriswold@lytx.com

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SOURCE Lytx