Why Dash Cams Are A Must For The Modern Fleet

February 14, 2023

why dash cams are a must for modern fleets

Commercial vehicles play a critical role in business operations. This can be travelling to customer sites, moving employees or transporting goods and services to customers. The performance of a fleet directly impacts profitability, so it is crucial to make sure effective fleet management is in place. One of the ways to achieve this is by equipping your vehicles with dash cams. Dashcams are a terrific opportunity for fleet operators to manage their business vehicles efficiently!

Table Of Contents

Dash cam for insurance purposes

dashcam installed in workshop

A large number of insurers are now accepting dash cam footage as evidence in insurance claims. This makes having a dash cam solution for your fleet beneficial for peace of mind as you know that if any of your vehicles are ever involved in an accident which you need to make a claim for, you will have some footage as evidence.

Fleet dashcams

In the world of commercial fleet, we are starting to see that insurance companies are requesting fleet operators to have a dash cam solution on their vehicles before being getting a policy. We recently spoke with several transport companies looking for dash cam solutions for HGVS to comply with insurance policy requirements. Insurance companies realise that certain businesses such as Transport and Haulage firms are targets of false and sometimes even inflated claims. Therefore, technology such as forward-facing dash cams and in cab cameras play a key part in the claims process. They also go a long way to guard against false claims

Insurance premiums

Dash cams can help lower your insurance costs. By improving the safety of your fleet and protecting against false claims, you can be rest assured your premiums will not skyrocket. It is possible that the use of dash cams in commercial fleets could lead to lower insurance premiums for fleet managers. Dash cams provide video evidence that can be used to help determine fault in the event of an accident, and this helps insurers build a true picture of risk. This can then be used by insurance companies to adjust insurance premiums based on the increased safety and risk management provided by the dash cams.

A few things to note are that some insurance providers will not offer discounts for dashcams if they are not permanently fitted to the vehicle. Therefore, it is important to look into a hardwired installation instead of self-fit options. Fleet managers should contact their insurance providers to inquire about any potential discounts for using dash cams in their fleets.

Preventing fraudulent claims (crash for cash)

2 vehicles in a crash

Dash cams are a great investment when it comes to protecting your drivers and keeping your fleet vehicles safe. Not only do they provide evidence, but they can also help you protect yourself from fraudulent claims.

According to Insurance company – Aviva, out of 11 000 instances of claims fraud in 2021 – 60% were on motor insurance policies, including many fake injury claims. Motor insurance fraud is still a big problem for insurance companies, fleet operators and drivers. One of the most common scams is “crash for cash”.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) define crash for cash as: “Crash for cash scams are run by fraudsters who stage accidents, sometimes with innocent road users, to profit from fraudulent insurance claims.

As well as targeting certain locations, criminal gangs are more likely to target larger and heavier vehicles. Large vehicles tend to have a greater stopping distance than smaller cars and the impact of these collisions will be far much greater. This makes perfect ground for fraudsters looking at financial pay-outs from injury claims.

What can fleets do to prevent “crash for cash”

If you run a fleet of Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) and HGVs, it is vital that you prepare to mitigate this risk. This starts by taking advantage of your driver training. Through training, you can make drivers aware of these risks, how to recognise them and incident management. This is also the perfect platform for drivers to talk to each other and pass on vital information such as how to spot such activity. Communication can play a big part in creating a safety culture and positive views towards dash cam amongst your drivers.

Are the police interested in dashcam footage?

It’s not just insurance companies accepting dash cam footage, even UK police forces are now accepting dash cam footage as evidence. In 2020, WHATCAR? revealed that over 42 police forces now accept video footage. Out of the 52,174 recordings sent to the police, 33% were actioned. As a result, businesses can be confident that if anything happens on the road, they can submit footage of poor driving behaviour to the police. This comes in useful in the fight against insurance fraud and “crash for cash” criminals.

National dashcam portal

Electronics company – Nextbase, launched the National Dash Cam Safety Portal (NDSP) a non-profit web-based portal allowing road users to securely upload dashcam video footage and report road incidents directly to a local police force. This service is currently only available to UK users.

Dash cam innovation and Technology

Gone are the days of grainy footage and dangling wires across the dashboard. In recent years, dash cam technology has come a long way with new innovations disrupting the market. There is now a wide variety of choice and this is reflected in the variety of camera systems we now install for fleets.

professional dash cam installation

Video Quality

Modern fleets can benefit from high image quality even in low light condition. This makes it easy to capture number plates and night-time driving. When it comes to storing footage, dash cams can handle large SD card capacities and can take advantage of cloud storage. For example, the DC692 Dash cam can take micro-SD cards of up to 256gb, allowing more recording hours.

Multi-channel Dashcams

The introduction of dash cam solutions that allow multi-channel recording has been a game changer. Especially for industries such as Logistics and the taxi and private hire market where multiple recording angles may be required. Multi-channel allows fleet operators capture footage from more than one angle, for example front and rear. Other channels such as in cab and cargo can be added for maximum coverage. Compared to a single channel camera, a multi-channel system can give you more clarity in the event of an incident. This is useful when trying to discover the cause of an accident. With the added channels, dash cams can move from being mainly used for accidents to providing other benefits such as security and driver behaviour monitoring.

Front and rear view dash cams

AI Dashcams

Some dash-cams come with AI which is extremely helpful to drivers and fleet managers. Through AI, drivers can be alerted about potential hazards, helping to improve driver reaction times. AI can also detect instances of distracted driving, fatigue and tailgating which can help fleet managers to become more proactive. Instant alerts can be sent to your fleet management platform, allowing you take action.

Telematics and Dashcams

Dashcams can allow you to add the video element to your fleet management. Data becomes more powerful when you can include insight from video.

Video Telematics

More advanced dash cams can introduce technology such as video telematics which allows fleet operators to get more insight into their vehicles. Combined with fleet tracking a dashcam can allow a fleet manager to get real-time location of a vehicle and remote viewing. This helps to provide real time feedback about the status of your drivers, feedback, mileage reports, timesheets, and remote video download.

Protect your drivers with dash cams

Show commitment

Dash cams help fleet managers move from a vehicle focused view of their fleet to a holistic one which includes drivers. Not only will this help to prove your drivers’ innocence, it will give them peace of mind that if anything happens, video evidence will be available as proof. Additionally dash cams can act as a visual deterrent, persuading fraudsters from attempting to stage an accident in the first place. This is one of the best ways to get driver buy-in when talking camera systems because it shows your drivers that the company is committed to their safety and wellbeing. Dashcams are a terrific way to support your drivers. As well as saving you ££££s by helping you fight false claims.

Driver behaviour monitoring

Commercial fleets can really benefit from dash cams when it comes to monitoring driver behaviour. Dash cams can allow fleet and transport managers to gain insight into how vehicles are being driven. As a result, fleet operators can identify weak areas and implement plans such as more training. The training will be more comprehensive as drivers can benefit from better coaching due to the wealth of video evidence available. On the other hand, fleets can use driver behaviour monitoring to identify drivers that perform well and give them the credit they deserve. Overall, dash cams can help improve driving performance across your fleet.

Reduce risky driving behaviour

Dash cams help to reduce risky driving behaviours. Evidence suggests that drivers are more likely to drive safely when camera monitoring is in place. Dash cams help reduce harsh braking, tailgating and distracted driving as drivers know they will be monitored. A study by the University of Nottingham has shown that HGV drivers drive more safely when monitored by cameras in their cabs.

The study analysed data collected before and after the installation of the HGV cameras. Research found that there was a significant reduction in risky driving behaviours when drivers were monitored via cameras. The researchers analysed the largest dataset ever collected for this type of research and found that monitoring and educating drivers through coaching had a greater impact on reducing driving errors.

Protect your vehicles with dash cams

Unattended Vehicle Safety

Dashcams are capable of recording even when the engine is turned off. This helps fleet managers and drivers to keep an eye on their vehicles even when they are not around. If an accident was to happen, you can be rest assured the camera will capture the moment of impact. The cameras can also act as a visual deterrent against opportunist criminals targeting parked cars. Dash cams can come with features that detect movement around the car and start recording even if the engine is off. This means that if any damage happens to your vehicle, you can have some evidence to submit to the police.

Getting started with dash cams is easy

Do you need a professional to install your dash cam?

With RS Connect you do not have to worry about how to fit all this technology into your vehicles. We have years of experience in installation and can take care of dash cam fitting for you. Our customers can rely on us for professional, neat, and tidy installation with minimal wires. Consistency, compliance, and quality will be reflected across all of your vehicles.

HGV forward facing camera

Supporting your whole fleet

We have the capability to meet installation demand and can offer truly nationwide coverage for our clients, covering the UK and Ireland. Our engineers can work on a wide variety of vehicles including private cars, LCV, HGV and increasingly Electric Vehicles (EV). So whatever size or vehicles in your fleet, we can help.

Finding the best dash cams for your business

We work with and install for some of the biggest dash cam brands on the market. As a result, we have a wealth of knowledge on what features and technologies are available and most importantly beneficial to business vehicles. Coupled with our installation experience, we can be a true one-stop shop for Commercial vehicle operators.

The hardwire option

Dash cams can be hardwired to a vehicle. Allowing the camera to start recording as soon as the vehicle is started. This makes the process of recording autonomous and means the driver doesn’t have to remember to switch the camera on for every journey. Hardwiring a dashcam, helps to avoid dangling wires and taking up space on your cigarette lighter port.

Furthermore, you do not have to worry about drivers being prosecuted for mounting their dash cams in non-compliant positions that could lead to impeding the driver’s view and prosecution. We offer a dashcam installation for fleets and understand the importance of maintaining quality control and standardisation across your commercial vehicle fleet. You can rest easy knowing that your dash cams are positioned legally and consistently across your entire fleet.

The team know that each fleet is different and when recommending a solution, we will take into account factors such as vehicles, industry and type of work. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us, let us know your dash cam requirements and a member of our team will be in touch to assist you. We also offer dash cam fitting service for consumers, using our network of mobile technicians dotted around the UK.


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