What happens when one of your drivers is involved in a collision? He swears the other vehicle swerved in front of him, but the other driver blames him, and there are no independent witnesses.
How do you disprove the accusation? What evidence can you rely on? When driving a truck, this scenario can be all too common.
This is exactly the kind of situation that smart dashcams and fleet management solutions help to deal with according to Andrew Rossington, Teletrac Navman Chief Product Officer.
“Camera-based solutions let you clearly see what happened before, during, and after an incident in high-definition, paired with all the insights you need analyse what happened,” he says. “Because the cameras are fully integrated into the telematics platform, the video is instantly available.”
For businesses it provides a complete picture of the route, speed, environment, conditions, and activities around the vehicle.
That complete data set will help protect drivers, vehicles, the company, and, ultimately, its reputation.
It’s irrefutable visual proof of your driver’s awareness and behaviour as the incident occurred — key to avoiding legal and repair costs when your driver was not at fault.
Smart dashcams feature advanced lenses and sensors built into the driver-facing and forward-facing cameras.
It plays a crucial role in keeping drivers safe as they capture activity throughout a journey, including the road environment and the driver’s awareness to ensure they get home safely after each journey.
By detecting unsafe driving behaviours, the internal camera supports the safety of company drivers.
Factors like phone distractions, drowsiness, and seatbelt negligence all add up to a dangerous journey, which, if left unchecked, can prove fatal according to Andrew.
“Installing internal cameras will pinpoint these issues and allow you to proactively prevent collisions from happening,” he explains.
“They ensure your drivers are doing the right thing on the road and keeping both themselves and others safe. And if someone falsely claims that negligence on your driver’s part caused an accident, you will have clear and reliable evidence to prove otherwise. No arguments, no legal costs.” Forward thinking Forward-facing cameras are the real game-changers for a litigation defence.
By installing one as part of a telematics solution in each vehicle, fleet manager and business owners will capture evidence that they can review, analyse and then use to support a case for any incident their vehicle is involved in.
Sensors within smart dashcams work to keep drivers safe by detecting first-hand any unsafe driver behaviours.
These can include traffic light infractions, stop sign violations, illegal u-turns, and unsafe following distance.
All this, according to Andrew, ensures the driver is practicing safe driving habits behind the wheel.
“As the holiday road toll has shown, serious incidents and collisions are all too common,” he says.
In December 2021, 102 Aussies lost their lives.
Even though it’s lower than the average of 109 lives lost in the last five Decembers, it’s still a harsh reminder to fleet managers across the country to stay proactive when it comes to their drivers and their vehicles according to Andrew.
“Installing telematics and in-vehicle cameras is a smart choice,” he says. “It will help you pinpoint dangerous behaviours that might, if unchecked, cause a crash.”
Driver and forward-facing dual cams can also give a valuable driver training tool to help improve behaviour to ensure safety; enhancing the overall safety culture across the business.
Technology like this will continue to help keep insurance costs down by sending an insurer a clear signal that the business is serious about fleet safety and provide evidence for not-at-fault events.
“There barely goes a day where dashcam footage isn’t capturing aggressive, speeding, or dangerous driving on Australia’s roads,” says Andrew.
“Motorists not abiding by road laws, swerving lanes, and losing control, these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Dashcams provide irrefutable visual evidence to show exactly what happened and who was at fault.”
By taking advantage of technologies like smart dashcams, businesses that rely on vehicles are protecting themselves against the ‘what ifs’.
In the end it’s all about peace of mind, both for the company and for its drivers says Andrew.
“You eliminate the guessing game of ‘who, what, where, and when’. By deploying technologies, you achieve multiple benefits, including improved driver behaviour, enhanced overall fleet safety, reduced insurance costs and protection against false claims,” he notes.
“Your company will thank you for it.”
