October 7, 2022
Abby Nuttall
Articles
An essential part of fleet telematics is dashcams which is why we wanted to give you all the key information on them and why you want to be adding them to your fleet.
What are Dashcams?
Dashcams are simply a camera, or a series of cameras, that are put into a vehicle in order to record the view outside / inside your vehicle. They can be used by businesses or private individuals alike and modern technology means that you can connect them to the cloud to keep your recordings for longer to avoid losing data that might be needed.
Types of Dashcam Systems
There are several different types of dashcams and we think it’s important that you understand the different types in order to make an informed decision on the right system for your fleet.
Exterior Dashcams
The first thing to be aware of is that dashcams fall into two categories interior and exterior cameras.
Exterior cameras will usually be mounted on the outside of the vehicle and help to provide a 360 degree view around the vehicle. These can be used with live feedback into the vehicle to assist drivers with a view of their blind spots or a warning alarm system or to keep a record of any events that may occur on the road.
Interior Facing Cameras
There are a number of different interior cameras that look out on the road but interior-facing cameras will provide a view of inside the vehicle.
They’re a great investment to help protect cargo if you’re regularly transporting cargo, keep your drivers and passengers safe if you have any concerns about that or work in a vehicle for hire industry, and can be used for driver training with real-life demonstrations.
Front Camera Dashcam Systems
Front-facing dashcams will usually be mounted on your windscreen or dashboard, depending on the fixings, and will face the road ahead of you.
They will capture any road incidents or accidents that happen on the road ahead of you and are useful for drivers who travel a lot.
Dual Camera Dashcam Systems
Dual camera systems contain a front-facing dashcam and an interior camera facing the driver. These are great for business vehicles as they cover both the interior and exterior, providing your vehicle with protection on both fronts.
Rear Camera Dashcam Systems
Rear cameras can be internal or external mounted on the rear windscreen or more commonly on the exterior near the licence plate. They act similarly to front mounted dashcams except they record the road behind the vehicle.
Benefits of Using Dashcams
There’s a reason we’re seeing more and more of our clients deciding to incorporate dashcams into the telematics section of their fleet management strategy and that’s because of all the benefits they bring.
- They can reduce or, depending on the set up your vehicles have, even eliminate fraudulent claims against your drivers or insurance.
- They lower insurance premium costs as they’re an additional security measure that can deter thieves.
- They can help prevent accidents before they occur with warning alerts and monitoring.
- They provide your fleet management team with more and better quality of data that can be used to highlight problematic areas and topics that should be covered in additional training and support.
- They can improve your ability to support drivers with tailored training based on their driving habits.
- They can reduce the time your fleet management team spends on driving data collection and analysis.
- They prompt your drivers to improve their behaviours as they know it’s being monitored.
Deciding if My Business Needs Dashcams
We think that all businesses can benefit from installing dashcams in their fleet but whether you want to do this will depend on your existing fleet management strategy and how vehicles are used within the company.
We recommend looking at the vehicles in your fleet and considering how using telematics as a whole and dashcams in particular can help improve vehicle condition, boost driver safety and mitigate the risk of theft and accidents. This can also help you prioritise if you opt for a gradual integration or want to trial a particular style of camera system.
Which Type of Dashcam is Right for My Business
It will be up to you to decide on the best system for your business, and you may find that if you have several departments that you want to use a combination of dashcam systems in order to meet various needs across different departments and drivers’ needs.
We recommend considering dashcams as a part of your larger fleet management strategy as they can help inform decisions in other areas of your fleet planning. If you need any assistance with this our team are happy to discuss how we can help. Just give us a call on 01722 322 888.
What to Look for When Choosing a Dashcam
There are a number of factors you need to consider when you are trying to decide on the right dashcam or combination of different dashcams that are right for your business. These include:
Internet connectivity – this will allow your cameras to send data to the cloud once it’s recorded to avoid losing historic data from rerecording or the device running out of memory.
Driver monitoring features – some cameras will be equipped with driver monitoring systems that analyse driver habits and data and can provide real-time feedback for safety, training and accident prevention.
In vehicle warnings – as well as monitoring and feedback some cameras feature an audio feature that makes a warning sound when it notices unsafe driving behaviour such as harsh driving or speeding.
Automatic event detection – another feature that some systems have is the ability to interface with your fleet management and telematics systems to highlight dangerous events, or near misses, which can then be reviewed, and additional training arranged if needed.
High-quality camera – a better camera will capture clearer images which are better if you need to review them.
Easy to install – if you’ve got a large fleet or one that you regularly update then you’ll want dashcams that are easy to install and remove. You’ll also want to make sure they’re not costly to move them between vehicles.
Easy to use – if the dashcam interacts with the driver then you’ll want one which is easy for them to understand and use otherwise it may become a distraction to them or incorrectly used. Additionally, if they are connected to your telematics or fleet management system then this interface needs to be easy to use for your fleet management team.
Getting Your Drivers Used to Dashcams
It’s not just the vehicles that your fleet management team is responsible for, but also the drivers. If you are introducing dashcams for the first time then we recommend making sure your drivers know why this is happening, how they will benefit from them and how they work. Another thing you may want to communicate if you have chosen dashcams that face the interior is that this is not as a punishment or to spy on your drivers but rather to help improve vehicle safety and additional training.
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