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Vehicle CCTV and Video Telematics:
What are the benefits?
The history of video telematics solutions
Today, vehicles in fleets up and down the country are likely to have at least some form of camera system installed into them whether that's a simple forward facing camera placed on a dashboard or an intricate piece of technology that captures all angles around a HGV. However, if you rewind to 10 years ago you'd find that this wasn't actually standard practise.
Lack of data when an incident occurred and an absence of footage meant that fleet managers were detached from what their drivers were doing on the roads and had to rely on witness testimonies to decipher how a collision happened. Operators often found themselves taking a stab in the dark in regard to risk management and it made for implementing preventative measures particularly challenging.
Over recent years, developments in road safety technology have completely revolutionised fleet operations. Not only has vehicle CCTV and telematics data placed another set of eyes somewhere that fleet managers previously never had access to, but it has now provided drivers with massively increased visibility around their vehicle, preventing them from getting into serious accidents or near misses.
Whether you're wanting some extra reassurance while your fleet drivers are out on the roads or you'd like to lower the amount you're paying in accident claims a year, the advantages of introducing this type of technology to a fleet are vast. It's a good idea to assess the challenges you're facing or could face in future, and consider whether vehicle CCTV and video telematics can help overcome any of these.
Benefit 1: It helps fleet managers to make more informed decisions
Video footage and vehicle data from an incident takes a fleet manager's knowledge on an accident from 'what happened' to 'how did it happen.' Being able to view everything leading up to, during and after the crash is at the core of why vehicle safety solutions are likened to a holy grail amongst fleets universally.
This added context is invaluable as knowing why an accident occurred enables fleet managers to identify any problem areas within their fleet and put measures in place to prevent them. For example, footage from an incident can instantly highlight issues with a driver's performance which can then be used to inform the type of training employees receive. Without this information, decisions on risk management are based on witness testimonies and guess-work.
How can VUE help you to make more effective decisions for your fleet?
From being able to review footage from a crash or at any point in a vehicle's journey to having the ability to access details on the speed a driver was travelling at, VUE's vehicle safety solutions gives you the tools you need to understand an incident in it's entirety and implement measures to minimise the risk of the same type of crash occurring again.
If you find an accident was the fault of one of your drivers, the reason for this crash and other information regarding a driver's overall performance is stored in Driver Behaviour Dashboard. Looking at a breakdown of their speeding behaviour, how often they idle, how harsh they brake, and more, instantly highlights areas for improvement which can feed into targeted driver training.
Benefit 2: It minimises risk to other road users
Drivers of larger vehicles have a higher level of responsibility to reduce the danger they pose to more vulnerable road users. Vehicle CCTV aids these drivers in their duty to minimise this risk as it provides them with increased visibility of pedestrians or cyclists who can be easily missed.
The leading cause of road traffic accidents in the UK is a driver failing to look properly which accounts for almost 38% of all collisions. Placing a camera that is able to trigger an alert in-cab, can mean the difference between spotting a cyclist coming up behind the side of a HGV, and only realising before it's too late. Having this type of technology on the vehicles in a fleet, gives fleet managers reassurance that they have have done everything they can to facilitate safe driving.
How can VUE help your drivers to minimise the risk they pose to other road users?
VUE's innovative hardware and software solutions are designed to improve driver safety and reduce the risk of an accident occurring whether that be through eliminating blind spots with our range of vehicle CCTV, or monitoring driving behaviour in real time and alerting a driver when they're showing signs of distracted driving with Driver Distraction AI.
Pedestrian AI prioritises vulnerable road users by triggering an alert if a human is detected by any of the side or rear cameras, and displays the footage on a monitor for the driver to see. The high-definition image highlights the risk, helping drivers manoeuvre with more awareness and avoid incidents. Fleet managers are also able to view the footage through VUEhub.
Benefit 3: It lowers insurance claims
Even if you placed every piece of hardware in the world onto a vehicle, situations are bound to occur on the roads that are completely beyond a fleet driver’s control. Video telematics can't guarantee an accident never happens but in the event that they do, this technology can simplify an insurance claim from what could otherwise be a painstakingly long process to one that is resolved in a matter of minutes.
Having footage and telematics data that captures exactly why an incident has happened provides undeniable evidence of who was at fault and helps to protect drivers from being caught up in fraudulent claims or from the communications between parties quickly descending into a 'he-said-she-said' type of dialogue. Vehicle CCTV and video telematics has the potential to save a company thousands of pounds a year and can very easily result in a quick return on investment.
How can VUE help your fleet to minimise insurance claims?
The vital moments leading up to a crash can show exactly who was to blame for the incident. This is why footage at any point in a vehicle's journey can be uploaded to VUEcloud; a purpose built, secure cloud-based hosting platform on VUEhub, and shared with an insurer to settle a claim quickly, clearing your driver of any blame.
Being able to store and review CCTV footage also helps to reduce the frequency of claims as it can used for driver education, informing your risk management strategy and feed into your fleet performance evaluation.
Want to learn more about how VUE can improve your fleet operations?
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