Features
21 Jun 17

The whole truth

Adding video footage to telematics data gives fleets and insurers a much deeper insight into why accidents and near misses occur.

Telematics data only provides half the picture for fleet operators trying to investigate accidents. Telemetry may capture vehicle speed, direction and location, along with incidents of harsh acceleration and braking, but it doesn’t explain why a driver drives in this way.

For a complete picture, fleets need to combine telematics systems with cameras, according to specialists in the field. So if telematics data identifies a driver who brakes too harshly, a film of the driver in action enables a fleet operator to work out the cause – perhaps the driver is distracted by a mobile phone, or drives too close to the vehicle in front.

“Video data doesn’t lie,” said Simon Marsh, managing director of VisionTrack, adding that the film gives, “a clear picture of how a person is driving and what has caused an incident, or even a near miss. Telematics cameras give fleets the insight needed to reduce incident rates.”

Insurance
Linking in-vehicle cameras with telemetry also provides compelling evidence if fleets want to dispute an insurance claim, and gives insurers a much clearer idea of what actually happened in a collision.

Robert Wright, motor claims manager at UK insurer Miles Smith, said, “We have found that video evidence is essential for all fleet operators nowadays. The number of disputed claims is reduced dramatically, as well as the length of the disputes.”

Miles Smith is offering fleets with more than 10 vehicles a free, three-month trial of a ‘cameramatics’ system, and anticipates that when clients see the results they will choose to install the systems throughout their fleet.

Real-time
Key to the success of the new generation of cameras is their ability to transmit video film of an accident to both fleet and insurer within seconds of it happening (the previous generation merely captured the footage on an SD card). This gives an insurer the advantage of First Notification of Loss (FNOS), allowing it to intervene instantly with the third party to limit the avoidable costs of an ‘at fault’ claim. Some industry estimates suggest an early settlement can cut costs by as much as 40%.

Paul Singh, chief executive officer of SmartWitness, said, “We are finding that more and more road incidents are disputed these days. Very few motorists admit they are at fault, and in a colossal 80% of cases they blame the HGV or van driver. If there is no video evidence most cases settle on an equally shared basis or worse and in that situation many fleet managers prefer to pay off small claims rather than going through their insurer and having their premiums go up.”

International foods company, Greencore Group (picture), has installed Intelligent Telematics cameras in 100 temperature-controlled vans, and has plans to expand the initiative across 400 vans and HGVs in its delivery fleet. The company wanted greater visibility of all collisions, near misses and harsh driving events, so its central transport team could better understand exactly what was happening on the road. The company is setting up an in-house training facility, and the video footage will be a valuable resource for driver education and coaching.

Authored by: Jonathan Manning