The new trend of integrating telematics with a camera system has created a host of new opportunities for fleets to enhance their safety, efficiency, productivity while reducing costs. Based on a research study conducted by the US Department of Transport, implementing a video telematics system can help fleets save up to 20% on fuel consumption, tyres, brakes and vehicle maintenance. Also, these systems can assist fleets to enhance their driver skills, leading to improved driver safety and productivity.
What Exactly Does Video Telematics Entail?
While the primary function of telematics is to record and send information about the use and performance of your vehicles, video telematics refers to incorporating road facing and/or in-cab camera systems into a telematics solution to see what your drivers are doing while operating your vehicles. This means that in addition to the data produced by the telematics technologies, fleet companies have access to video footage to back up the driving data about their driver.
Although video telematics is just starting to generate a lot of buzz, the concept has been around for over two decades. According to Advanced Fleet Management Consulting, fleets have always relied on the use of video snippets to resolve accident liability disputes and improve driver behaviour. It is only recently that fleets are beginning to widely adopt it and recognize that integrating a camera system into telematics solution offers a range of information as visual proof supported by telematics data.
Research undertaken by Transparency Market Research shows that the adoption of dashboard cameras in vehicles is increasing rapidly and its future is strong, with dashboard camera market predicted to grow from $1,458.2 million in 2013 to $4.03 billion by the end of next year (2020).
The Benefits of Adopting Video Telematics in Your Fleet
While using telematics offers a full range of benefits such as fleet tracking, accident prevention and fuel-saving opportunities, using a video telematics system can take your fleet into a new domain of safety, efficiency, productivity and cost-cutting in the following ways:
1. Better Insight into What Your Drivers Do with Your Vehicles
Video telematics has enabled us to see things we previously couldn’t see. By installing a road facing and in-cab camera systems, fleet managers can access a range of information as visual proof that can be backed up by traditional GPS tracking information showing harsh braking, speeding, hard cornering, and other risky behaviours. This means that fleet managers can now use the video to link the dots to information collected from the telematics device.
2. Improve Driver Road Compliance
Fleet drivers tend to abide by road rules when they know they are being monitored. This is confirmed in a research study released by Injury Epidemiology that examined the impact of a camera detection system on seatbelt and mobile phone use among drivers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study found that general compliance with the seatbelt improved considerably from 33.9% to 75.8%, while mobile phone use dropped substantially from 13.8% to 9.8%. With that said, adopting video telematics can serve as a safety tool to assist nurture better driving behaviour and ensure driver compliance on the road.
3. Enhanced Driver Coaching with Real-world Video Evidence
According to N3TC, drivers of heavy vehicles caused 86% of the accidents that happened on the N3 between January and October 2018. Also, statistics discovered that heavy vehicles played a major part (70%) in causing accidents that involved light motor vehicles. Fleet managers can collect footage of collisions and use it to facilitate driver coaching and increase awareness about risky driving. They can also use it to establish better protocols for road safety.
4. Review Collisions and Disputes Relating to Accidents
Fleets work in a hazardous setting, which means there is a high likelihood that at any moment anything could go wrong. But using video telematics provides a wealth of insight that fleets can leverage to comprehend the events that lead to crashes. This gives fleet managers a chance to see driver practices that lead to collisions. Also, if your driver is falsely charged with causing an accident, the video may be used as factual proof to exonerate your driver from the charges. Nearly 70% of fleets using a video-based security program consider exonerations to be the greatest benefit, according to a study of SmartDrive clients.
Read more on how you can protect your business against frivolous lawsuits with the GEOTAB G07 and CARPA Dashcam.
5. Improve Operational Efficiency
In addition to ensuring safety, video telematics can assist fleets to look at stuff such as improving operational efficiency. By providing a clear view of driver motion, video telematics offers fleet managers an opportunity to manage drivers and ensure that they are on track and finish deliveries in real time. This will allow fleet managers to plan and effortlessly maximize operations.
Author: The Geotab Africa Team
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