Most AI dash cams can be installed using an adhesive strip or a suction mount within minutes. Once in place, these cameras can be accessed by drivers from their mobile phones for audible in-cab alerts and the ability to view side-by-side road- and driver-facing footage.
AI-powered dashcams can help protect transportation companies from false insurance claims and costly payouts. Motive customers have seen a return on investment with the ability to detect unsafe driving behavior like cell phone use, close following, and rolling stops.
1. Better Video Evidence
Fleet managers constantly try to balance the need to keep drivers happy, productive, and valued by reducing collisions, liability claims, and maintenance costs. An AI-powered dash cam is an effective tool to help them achieve these goals with safety videos that can be used to proactively coach drivers.
With the rise of driver fatigue, distracted driving, and drowsiness on our roads, transport businesses need to ensure their drivers are well-rested before they get behind the wheel. AI-powered cameras can detect specific behaviors that can indicate drowsiness or impairment, such as harsh braking out of nowhere, erratic lane changes, and driving far below the speed limit.
By being alerted of risky behavior, drivers are able to take steps to prevent an accident or injury before it happens. Then, using the footage and analytics from the AI-powered dashcam, they can provide clear evidence of their innocence if an incident does occur. This helps to protect the driver and their company from false claims or 50:50 claims.
Having the ability to show drivers the video of an event that is automatically captured by an AI-powered dashcam is one of the most powerful tools that can be used to promote safer driving practices. This enables your team to provide direct feedback to the driver and support them to correct their poor driving habits, ultimately leading to fewer road accidents and saving your business money.
A dual-camera, in-cab dashboard solution like the AnyConnect Smarter AI™ Dashcam is a cost-effective way to monitor fleet drivers’ performance. The camera is designed to act as a TCU and an LTE-connected video telematics system and can be easily integrated into your vehicle’s cabin. With a simple programmable button paired with an LED, it is easy to set up a pre-recorded video that can be sent to your operations center or the driver via the app if an event is detected.
2. Detect Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is a major cause of accidents, and it’s easy for truckers to become distracted by fatigue or the stress of late deliveries. A dual-facing AI dash cam with in-cab alerts lets fleet managers monitor their drivers and give them data-driven feedback to help them stay aware and safe on the road.
Using their phones, fiddling with the radio, or even eating and drinking can all be dangerous distractions for truckers on the road. These behaviors draw attention away from the road and increase the likelihood of an accident, but they are also illegal in some states. The best way to prevent this is to equip your drivers with a dual-facing AI dash cam with in-cab audio alerts.
When the camera detects these risky behaviors, it will notify your driver in real-time and give them a chance to correct their actions. Then, if they continue to engage in distracting behavior, the AI will notify your dispatch team so they can take immediate action.
An AI dash cam can record what happens before, during, and after a collision and identify who is truly at fault. This can help protect your fleet from false claims or 50:50 liability situations and may even save your business huge damages fees. In addition, it can also provide video evidence to exonerate your drivers if an incident does occur.
Ultimately, the goal of any fleet manager is to keep their drivers happy and successful on the job while decreasing insurance premiums and cutting maintenance and operational costs. A fleet AI dash cam is a smart investment to ensure your drivers are safe, protected, and productive on the road.
3. Prevent Collisions
A collision is costly, regardless of who’s at fault. Even minor accidents can cost a trucking company upwards of $22 million, with nearly 50% going to accident attorneys. And while many people think it’s impossible to prevent accidents, an AI dash cam can help – in addition to improving safety and reducing fleet costs.
A driver-facing camera allows fleet managers to review footage of a collision and determine whether the trucking company is at fault, saving you time and money in court cases. An AI dash cam can also prevent crashes by capturing evidence of dangerous driving, such as speeding, tailgating, and distracted driving (checking phones, fiddling with the radio, etc.). These events can be automatically uploaded to the fleet’s dashboard, where a manager can instantly play audible in-cab alerts to notify drivers of their risky behavior.
Lastly, AI dash cams can also detect unsafe driving habits like harsh braking, acceleration, and swerving. These can often be caused by fatigue or distraction. In 2020, distracted driving claimed more than 3000 lives and many fleets struggle to keep drivers safe and on task. Using an AI dash cam that automatically detects and notifies your drivers of high-risk events will allow them to take proactive action before a crash occurs.
Headway warnings, another feature of AI dash cams, can reduce accidents from rear-end vehicle collisions and tailgating. This feature continuously monitors the distance between your vehicle and the car ahead. When the gap becomes too tight, the AI system will alert your driver in real time so they can adjust their driving style. This could save you millions of dollars in damages and the heartache of losing a crew member or customer.
4. Prevent Drunk Driving
Fleet managers can use dash cams to spot unsafe driving behaviors like cell phone use, close following, and distracted driving that increases the risk of accidents. But the real value of AI dash cams comes in their ability to prevent these accidents from happening in the first place.
The most common cause of trucking accidents is driver fatigue or distraction. When a fleet’s drivers are tired or distracted, their reaction times slow down, and they are more likely to engage in aggressive driving or accident-causing behavior. AI-powered dash cams are able to detect this type of dangerous driver behavior, and they will alert the driver or the fleet manager in real time that there is a potential danger on the road. The driver can then choose to refocus their attention on the road or ask the fleet manager for safety coaching on how to improve their driving habits.
These cameras will also detect other dangerous behaviors like straddling lanes or speeding. The camera will alert the driver to these risky behaviors by either sounding an audible warning or using haptic sensors to vibrate the driver’s seat. The video is then uploaded to the cloud, where it’s classified based on severity and tagged with other events (like a roll-stop violation). This allows managers to view and review these important safety events quickly and take action.
When an incident occurs, the dash cam will notify the fleet manager and driver of the event by sending a notification to the mobile app. Then, a replay will be shown in the driver’s window to reinforce the event that occurred. A replay is a powerful tool that can help prevent these types of incidents from occurring in the first place, saving both time and money for your fleet.
5. Keep Your Drivers Focused
With AI-powered dashcams, fleet managers can automatically detect and play audible in-cab alerts when a driver is following too close, distracted by their smartphone, or falling asleep. They can also review road-facing and driver-facing footage side by side to quickly identify risky driving behavior that could lead to an accident, such as harsh braking or turning.
Cell phone use is one of the most dangerous driving distractions, whether for communication or navigation. In fact, a single accident caused by distracted driving can cost a trucking company thousands of dollars. An AI-powered dashcam can help reduce cell phone usage in your trucks by detecting when a driver is using their smartphone and not paying attention to the road. It can also record snippets of video that prove the driver was not texting or talking on the phone when an incident occurred.
Fatigue is another major cause of accidents, especially among commercial drivers. It can cause drivers to lose concentration, fall asleep at the wheel, and even drive erratically. An AI-powered dashcam can detect when a driver is showing signs of fatigue and alert them to take a break or turn off the highway to rest. It can also record the road ahead during navigation to ensure a safe route for drivers.
AI-powered dash cams can save fleets a lot of money, especially with the right features. They can keep drivers safe, prevent accidents from happening in the first place, and protect them against false insurance claims. In addition, they can help improve a driver’s safety habits and increase their confidence behind the wheel. In fact, many insurers offer reduced premiums for fleets that deploy an AI dash cam system.