Many modern fleets use dash cams to protect themselves and hold drivers accountable. Dash cams have many uses, but a common question is, do dash cams have tracking capabilities? A dashcam with a real-time GPS tracker can be immensely useful to fleets looking to maximize efficiency while boosting safety. Let’s explore more about dash cams with trackers.
What is a Dash Cam with GPS Tracking?
A dash cam is a camera installed in a vehicle that can capture the road ahead and sometimes activity inside the cab. Some dash cams do come equipped with GPS tracking capabilities through telematics. This feature helps the dash cam better detect safety events like speeding, harsh braking, harsh turning, and more. Advanced dash cams can upload this footage to the cloud for fleet managers to review.
What are the Benefits of Dash Cams with GPS Tracking?
Safety
Safety is the top priority for any fleet business. Every fleet wants its drivers to be safe for the benefit of the driver and the company. Dual-facing AI dashcams like Azuga’s SafetyCam can track unsafe behaviors on the road and in the cab and alert the driver and fleet manager as needed. It can track hard braking, speeding, rapid acceleration, and swerving. They can even detect distracted driving behaviors, such as:
- Eating and drinking
- Using the phone
- Smoking
- Wearing a mask
- Yawning or fatigue
- Face not visible
- Not focused
- Camera obstruction
Distracted driving claimed over 3,000 lives in 2019 alone, and nobody wants their fleet to be involved in a distracted driving accident. Luckily, dash cams can help prevent these accidents. The more trucks have them, the safer fleets will be.
Insurance Discounts
Many insurance companies want to know that fleet owners are trying to keep their fleets safe and, therefore, are at a lower risk to insure. For this reason, they often offer discounts to fleets that equip their drivers with truckers’ dash cams. Trucks with dash cams are less likely to get into an accident, meaning they are less likely to cost the insurance company money. Furthermore, if they get into an accident, they have the dash cam to testify on their behalf, meaning they are more likely to be exonerated of the fault, and their insurance will not have to payout. Either way, insurance companies benefit significantly from dash cams and want their drivers to use them.
Witness in an Accident
Accidents happen no matter how safe drivers are. It is simply the nature of trucking. Luckily, dash cams are always there to testify when a fleet driver is safe. 70% of accidents are not the truckers’ fault, and dash cams can prove it. Dash cams can exonerate drivers by serving as a witness to everything that happened on the road and in the driver’s cab at the time of the accident, showing the driver doing everything right and the accident’s actual cause. This footage is crucial, as accidents can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, especially if there are injuries, and fleets need to pursue any way to reduce this cost. One of the reasons dash cams are so popular is that they serve as witnesses in an accident, which is one of the main reasons so many fleets use them today.
Use for Training and Coaching
One of the benefits of dash cams like Azuga’s SafetyCam is performing in-cab coaching. Whenever a driver exhibits unsafe driving behaviors, the system sends a real-time alert to the fleet manager, who can check in on the driver. This feature is critical if the fleet manager needs to have the driver take a break for their safety and the safety of others.
Furthermore, recorded incidents on dash cam can be immensely useful for training new drivers on safety. Seeing events play out in real life is far better than just hearing about them or simulating them, and dash cams can provide that footage.
Save Money and Downtime
Whenever an accident occurs, it can cost the company thousands. An accident without any injuries costs $16,500. If there are injuries or fatalities, that cost soars up to the hundreds of thousands. Not to mention, employee and vehicle downtime can hurt a company’s productivity significantly. Every employee and vehicle is crucial to a company’s efficiency. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be there. For this reason, avoiding accidents should be a top priority for any fleet manager, and dash cams are the way to do so. It is vital not only for employee safety but also for the fleet’s efficacy.
Get the Best Dash Cam
Azuga’s AI SafetyCam is the best in the business when it comes to combining the power of a high-definition camera with telematics. Paired with our state-of-the-art fleet technology, our dash cam can protect your fleet from false claims, prevent accidents, and keep your drivers safe! Learn more about the Azuga AI SafetyCam and how it can help your fleet online!
