How dash cameras provide clearer perspectives for truck safety
Several emerging technologies are being integrated into fleet management, and one that’s garnering a lot of attention is Dash Cameras, fondly called “dash cams.”
Dash cams are micro-sized cameras that are mounted on a vehicle’s dashboard meant to capture the road, the driver, or both throughout a trip. These cameras offer tons of benefits to fleet managers by maximizing driver and fleet safety, monitoring driver behaviors, and also as exonerating or convicting evidence in the event of a conflict.
Dash cameras are becoming increasingly popular in fleet management and are also becoming vital tools for enhancing truck safety. In this article, we’ll briefly discuss the concept of dash cameras and discuss some of the notable ways dash cameras help improve safety in trucks.
How dash cameras improve truck safety
In fleet management, there are a lot of unexpected events like accidents, property vandalization, etc which can compromise the safety of your trucks. A lot of accidents aren’t always “accidental”, some might be caused by negligence on the driver’s part, failing to adhere to speed limits, playful driving habits, and a lot more.
In such cases, it’s difficult to ascertain the cause of the accidents without proper documentation or evidence of the events leading up to them; that’s where dash camera trucks come in. With these devices, you’ll have ready footage of all your fleets equipped with them, allowing you to monitor the driver’s behavior and also use it as evidence in the event of a lawsuit.
The following are some of the stellar benefits of dash cameras and how they help facilitate truck safety.
Monitor and train drivers’ behaviours
Vehicles equipped with dash cams transmit 24/7 footage of whatever happens inside and within the vehicle’s surroundings; this can help in monitoring the driver’s behavior in real time. Dash cameras can record instances of speeding, harsh braking, distracted driving, and a lot more unsafe driving practices.
Fleet managers can utilize the feed from the dash cams to provide additional training or discipline to drivers who practice such unsafe habits. This approach can help you eliminate further instances that feature similar driving habits, and instead improve their driving habits and overall improve the safety of your trucks and the roads.
Real-time alerts and feedback
Dash cameras are more than just video recording devices; some advanced dash cams come equipped with telematic systems to provide real-time alerts and feedback to drivers. These systems are equipped with a series of sensors that can alert you if you’re following a vehicle too close, speeding too much, or derailing from your lane.
The drivers receive the feedback from the systems instantly and can then apply the warnings to correct their current driving pattern, thereby preventing accidents before they occur.
Enhanced situational awareness
State-of-the-art dash cams are often equipped with tons of cool features like night vision and wide angles providing the driver with a well-detailed view of the truck’s surroundings. Drivers who navigate places with poor weather conditions, low light, or congested areas often have an increased risk of being involved in an accident due to these driving conditions.
However, with such dash cams, drivers would be able to navigate the terrain without “flying blind”; this will help reduce the risk of accidents and also improve truck safety.
Accident evidence and liability protection
Trucking companies lose a considerable amount of money during road accidents; the fines paid by such companies in the event of an accident range from about $120,000 to $5 million, depending on fatalities in some cases.
This prompted a lot of trucking companies to install dash cams to allow them to ascertain if their vehicles were partially or totally at fault in the accident. With dash cam footage, you can easily identify which party was at fault in an accident minimizing the risk of having to depend on inaccurate and conflicting stories from witnesses.
Once the authorities take the footage into consideration, they’ll be able to determine the fines to be paid by each party.
Minimize occurences of theft and vandalism
Thieves often fancy themselves as skilled when they go on a couple of heists without getting caught; however, if you’ve experienced theft or vandalism of your vehicles, it’s most likely the perpetrator waltzed in and took what they wanted because there was no one to see.
Luckily, dash cams work round the clock to record every action around the vehicle; this will give the thieves second thoughts about engaging in another heist because the consciousness of being recorded is now set. If you often transport high-value goods, it’s almost compulsory to have a fully functional dash cam installed on all your vehicles.
Dash cams offer plenty of safety benefits
Dash cameras offer a lot of safety benefits to fleet owners; real-time alerts, situational awareness, etc, all of which ensure that the driver maintains standard driving practices, and is well aware of his surroundings. This ensures drivers are kept in check and in turn, ensures the driver and the vehicle are safe.
