N.J. Ambulances Get Driver Monitoring Technology

The Jersey City Medical Center has equipped its ambulance fleet with a driver feedback system designed to prevent crashes during emergency response.

The medical center's EMS division, which serves densely-populated Hudson County, has been using Zoll Medical Corp.'s Road Safety system. The system measures multiple inputs such as speed, braking, and g-forces on turns. The system gives audible tones if the driver is applying brakes too harshly, taking turns too severely, or exceeding a pre-determined speed.

The medical center has installed the units on 45 vehicles and has been using them since 2007. The New York Fire Department is now considering the system, reports CBS New York.

"The program allows us to clearly identify individual driver behavior that falls outside of established safety standards to support employee incentive and corrective programs," said Robert Luckritz, the center's EMS director.

There are an estimated 10,000 ambulance crashes per year. Vehicle crashes are the top cause of death among EMS personnel.