In-Cab Video Monitoring For Fleet Managers

Brodie Von Berg, head  of sales and marketing, Middle East and Australasia, MiX Telematics, writes about the potential benefits of in-cab video monitoring

According to the Saudi Gazette, there were 526,000 road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia in 2015. The World Health Organisation, estimates there are nearly 1.25 million deaths from road crashes every year. The estimated total cost of these crashes: $103 billion. Clearly there is more fleet managers can be doing to ensure the safety of drivers and those with whom they share the roads. New advances in driver behaviour management solutions can significantly reduce preventable crashes and can also help managers and investigators determine the actual causes of crashes that do occur. In-cab video monitoring is one such advance that is becoming the rule, not the exception, in commercial vehicles, significantly enhancing a company’s overall fleet management strategy.

What is in-cab video monitoring?

In-cab video monitoring systems typically feature both forward- and cab-facing cameras that capture video footage and sound, allowing for visual acuity at the time of an event. Most systems capture a short video clip, several seconds in length, that show what was happening outside and inside the cab when a driving event was triggered.
Driving events are configurable and typically include the following driver behaviors: corner handling, speeding, harsh acceleration and deceleration.

Some newer video-based driver behaviour solutions capture a loop of up to 72 hours of continuous trip video. This is useful particularly when video evidence is needed even when a driving event is not triggered. Fleet, safety and risk managers can retrieve video segments as needed to gain insight into what happened before and after an event that occurred during this 72-hour period.

Consider a common scenario in which one of your company’s vehicles slaps mirrors with an oncoming truck. This would not typically trigger a driving behaviour event in most systems, but with the 72-hour rolling video, managers can determine if their driver or the oncoming vehicle was at fault.

Issues such as texting or speaking on a mobile phone can also become more readily visible. If, for example, someone called in a concern about this type of activity, managers could refer back to video recordings to see what exactly happened.

How can the video recordings be used?

Providers of video-based driver behaviour solutions offer different approaches to managing video footage. Some provide a managed service where the vendor reviews the videos for customers and determines which videos should be viewed. These videos are then sent to the customers, sometimes with descriptive write-ups detailing possible concerns.

Other solutions are integrated with fleet management software for evaluating driver behaviour and overall fleet efficiency. With a fully integrated solution, video can be automatically appended to driver profiles for easy coaching, and tied to reports depicting specific triggered events. It puts the video information right where the user needs it when reviewing driving behaviour and assessing fleet risk.

It is important for fleet managers to craft and publish a video monitoring policy when their fleets adopt in-cab video monitoring – to help drivers understand how video will be captured and used and help assuage driver fears that the videos are being used to spy on their activities.

For instance, one key element in making drivers comfortable with in-cab video monitoring is your assurance that video will only be captured when a driver is driving the vehicle.

How does in-cab video monitoring help fleets?

There are four main benefits:

Driver coaching and training
Video is useful not only for accident investigation, but also in curbing unsafe driving behaviours such as speeding, harsh acceleration, hard braking and corner handling. When managers integrate in-cab video monitoring with fleet management, they can include video in driver safety scoring reports. This can help to educate drivers about safe driving behaviour and support them in learning how to improve.

Post-crash analysis
Video adds an important element to post-crash analysis, giving managers unprecedented insight (and irrefutable evidence) into what occurred in the cab and around the vehicle at the time of an incident. Videos can be viewed alongside a timeline, adding richer context to incident scenarios for fleet managers, many of whom have shared stories about the importance of this video footage in determining the true cause of an incident.

Crash prevention and reduction
When video is integrated with a fleet management solution, fleets can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of crashes. Fleet management solutions constantly monitor driving behaviours and coach drivers in real-time when these unsafe events are triggered. This might be a set of beeps, verbal cues, and/or visual cues. The coaching is intended to prompt drivers to self-correct their behaviour.

Most fleet management solutions also have driver-scoring reports to rank drivers based on the number and type of events triggered. Video can be attached to triggered events listed in these reports, making it easy for managers to sit and review driving habits with specific drivers. Coaching drivers and enforcing a company’s driving policies are key to the prevention and reduction of crashes.

Crash prevention and reduction
When video is integrated with a fleet management solution, fleets can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of crashes. This is primarily due to improved driver training. Most fleet management solutions have driver-scoring reports to rank drivers based on the number and type of events triggered. Video can be attached to triggered events listed in these reports, making it easy for managers to sit and review driving habits with specific drivers. Coaching drivers and enforcing a company’s driving policies are key to the prevention and reduction of crashes.

Subrogation of insurance claims

Beyond improving driver training, video helps companies quickly determine if they are at fault or not in the case of a crash. This information is very useful when determining how best to handle claims, settle quickly to reduce settlement cost, or fight the claim knowing the video will exonerate the company from fault.
Insurers understand the value of in-cab video solutions, especially those integrated with a fleet management solution. They understand that fleets utilising these tools reduce their incident rates, and they appreciate the video evidence that supports subrogate claims. This often results in the fleet receiving reduced insurance rates.

Embrace technology

Adoption of fleet management systems is growing due to their ability to improve compliance, efficiency and safety. Integrating video into your overall fleet management strategy is an excellent way to strengthen the safety portion of the equation.

While U.S. fleets tend to be extremely safety conscious, there are still many fleets relying on older, less intuitive fleet management technology, the old 1-800 “how’s my driving” bumper stickers, or doing nothing at all to monitor unsafe driving behavior. If yours is one of them, it’s time to explore some new options. In-cab video monitoring has become an important element of fleets’ safety improvement strategies.