What you need to know before choosing a dashcam for your fleet

Did you know that 80% of all accidents are caused by driver distraction. And a whopping 93% of all collisions are caused by human error. These statistics not only show how important it is for drivers to be focused and alert behind the wheel, but also the importance of proper driving habits. For businesses with fleets of vehicles, this couldn’t be more critical. If a company vehicle is responsible for an accident, the result can be high fines, reputation damage, and lost revenue. These issues can surely kill a business. Not to mention devastating injury or even death that too often is the result of vehicle collisions. 

For this reason, businesses in a multitude of industries are investing in fleet dashcams. Dashcams not only provide a video recording of the road and surroundings, which can be used as evidence should something happen, but some models also come with advanced A.I. features that monitor driving behaviour and react with alerts when a potential issue is detected.  

Dashcams can be a worthwhile investment for transportation companies that want to improve driver safety. Before diving in and selecting a dashcam, it’s important to understand how they work, as there is a wide range available on the market. 

What are dashcams? 

Dashcams, short for dashboard cameras, are also sometimes referred to as ‘in-car cameras.’ In either case, these devices get their names from the fact that they are installed either onto the dashboard or the windscreen of the vehicle. 

Powered through a 12v power source or hardwired to the vehicle’s battery, dashcams are built to continually record imagery and audio as you are driving. The cameras generally film in segments of a few minutes in length with the recordings being loaded onto an SD card, which can then be transferred to a computer. Alternatively, some dashcams with cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity can transmit the recordings to the cloud for backup. 

As dashcams have become popular for both private and commercial purposes, there is a wide range of models available. Depending on the size and type of the business, some transportation companies will likely want to use a dashcam that has been designed for fleets. 

With advanced features like a live stream that enables dispatch to monitor the status of a trip in real-time or incident sensors that automatically detect unsafe driving events, dashcams for fleets can play an important role in day-to-day operations by keeping drivers and management better connected. 

What are the benefits? 

While the types of dashcams and their features can range significantly, they can all help to protect your business by increasing visibility, accountability and security. Here are a few specific ways that dashcams can benefit your fleet: 

1. Hard evidence: Likely the most common reason for installing a dashcam is for peace of mind. Dashcam footage provides evidence of the event of an accident or incident on the road. With big fleets, it can be challenging to identify fraud or who was at fault in an accident. Evidence from dashcams can help to mitigate disputes, helping to resolve issues quicker and save money on legal fees.
2. Prevent insurance increases: Although many insurance companies in Canada do not offer a discount for installing a dashcam, dashcam footage can help prevent your premiums from increasing by:
3. Reducing false claims and fraud
4. Dispute tickets
5. Safe driving: As discussed in our previous post, dashcams help fleet managers flag and fix poor driving behaviours. This has proven to boost driver safety significantly. Dashcams offer a sense of accountability in addition to getting to the root of the problem for more targeted driver training.
6. Vehicle security: In the case of many fleet companies, drivers are often driving for very long stretches of time with rest stops along the way. Many dashcams can track movement and record any illegal behaviour or theft, even when the vehicle is parked. This provides peace of mind for the driver and can help the authorities quickly recover vehicles should they be stolen.

 

How do I know what is right for me? 

Depending on the size of your fleet and the type of business you operate, you may not need the most advanced dashcam on the market. Even basic models can add value to your daily operations by giving you real-time insight into what’s happening on the road. Most dashcams are quick to install and simple to use so the main thing is to find one that works for you and your fleet.  

Since there is a mind-boggling array of fleet dashcams available in the market, from inexpensive forward-facing cameras that satisfy insurance requirements to multi-camera systems with AI that support driver coaching. How do you decide where to invest your money? 

Here are some things to consider before you start your search: 

1. The size of your fleet
2. Budget
3. Technology literacy
4. Problems you are trying to solve

If you’re a small business with a handful of work vans on the road, you may not need or have the resources to monitor a multiple-camera system. However, if you’re managing a large construction company with vehicles coming and going between sites, you could benefit greatly from having an automated system that keeps an eye on things for you (and lets you know right away when there’s a problem). 

Advanced Solutions 

Any sized fleet would benefit from having road-facing cameras that continuously record the road installed in vehicles. If something happens, a video recording can provide indisputable evidence, helping to save your reputation and your insurance premium. 

Many fleets, however, would also greatly benefit from AI features that use algorithms and historical data to process and react to driver behaviour and the surroundings. Dashcam solutions with AI features can alert businesses to dangerous driving habits like following too close, distracted driving, lane departure, and more. When incorporated with a driver coaching system, businesses can work with their drivers to ensure safe driving habits are adopted and company policies are followed. 

Some of the advanced features that you can utilize as part of a fleet dashcam solution with AI include: 

1. High-Definition Infrared Sensors: These sensors will work in tandem with a dash cam set-up to help drivers be notified of potential safety threats that they may not be able to catch quickly with their naked eyes or in the dead of the night.
2. Lane Departure, Headway, & Forward Collision Warning/Monitoring: This feature allows drivers full visibility of oncoming traffic and alerts when there might be another vehicle in a blind spot.
3. Event-Based Notifications: Real-time alerts are provided to the driver to aid them in making safe driving decisions throughout every step of the journey.

Not just a camera 

Fleet dashcams aren’t the same as the personal dashcams you can pick up at Best Buy. Instead, they are designed specifically for businesses that rely on fleet vehicles for day-to-day operations. Built with cutting-edge camera and sensor technologies, fleet dashcams help to mitigate the risks of being on the road where the conditions – and other drivers – are unpredictable. Advanced AI features also help businesses monitor driving behaviour and patterns so corrective action can be taken before there is a serious problem. 

When selecting a dashcam for your business, just remember that even a basic solution will help you protect your drivers and business, while more advanced options can also help you take proactive measures to reduce risks.