Dash cams are becoming increasingly common among fleets all over the world. Fleets want to ensure that their drivers are safe, and front and rear dash cams are one of the best ways to promote safety. In the UK, where 20% of drivers use dash cams, accidents have decreased by nearly 400 per month. Azuga’s SafetyCam is top-of-the-line when it comes to protecting drivers and encouraging safe behaviors. The SafetyCam uses artificial intelligence to detect risky behaviors and help fleet managers coach drivers on best practices. What are the benefits of Azuga’s SafetyCam? This article will break them down.
How Does the SafetyCam Work?
The SafetyCam is easy to install. Drivers can power it either with their vehicle battery, cigarette lighter adapter, or the OBD-II cable. Then, simply adhere it to the windshield or rear-view mirror with the sticky back attachment. Once installed, the camera provides a 155-degree view of the road ahead, and the in-cab camera gives a clear view of anything happening inside the vehicle. Managers can access full trips on the SD card, but incidents that they need to see will be uploaded automatically to the cloud so it’s accessible anywhere in real-time.
The information the dash cam uploads depends on what the artificial intelligence detects. The front-facing dash cam captures incidents like speeding, hard braking, rapid acceleration, and harsh cornering. Meanwhile, the interior dash cam can detect behaviors indicative of distracted driving, such as eating, drinking, yawning, or losing focus. When the system detects these behaviors, it will sound an alert in the vehicle so the driver can correct their mistake. However, if the problem continues, the software will notify the fleet manager to coach the driver or take other action if necessary.
Dash Cams Limit Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is one of the most significant dangers on the road today. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 3,000 people were killed by distracted driving in 2019 alone. An accident can happen in seconds, and taking one’s eyes off the road, even momentarily, can be catastrophic. Drivers need to know these risks and be monitored in case of any lapses in judgment.
Activities like eating and drinking are widespread while driving, especially for long periods. Fleet drivers are on a schedule and may not always have time to pull over when they are hungry. However, snacking while driving is dangerous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that drivers who are eating or drinking cause 65% of near-miss crashes. Cell phone use is another danger that fleet drivers, in particular, are prone to practice. The National Safety Council found that cell phone use leads to 1.6 million car crashes every year.
SafetyCam can see when drivers do not have their full focus on the road. The audible alerts help drivers correct their behavior. Fleet drivers can easily correct simple mistakes, and fleet managers do not have to be bothered with every issue. Persistent problems, however, need to be addressed, and SafetyCam’s in-cab coaching features allow fleet managers to handle them in real-time.
With the premium service, fleet managers can even utilize Azuga’s team of professional risk analysts. These experts review risky events and prioritize drivers for coaching. This service allows managers to coach more effectively and better promote safety.
Create a Culture of Safety
It is one thing to talk about safety, but it is another to embody it in the company’s ideals and culture. Azuga helps companies promote safety among their drivers in a variety of ways. The driver rewards system is one way that Azuga helps companies ingrain safety into their workforce’s values. In the driver rewards system, Azuga takes data from telematics and the SafetyCam and assigns each driver a safety score. Drivers who have higher safety scores are eligible for gift card prizes. By gamifying driver safety, Azuga promotes better behavior with friendly competition and personal drive.
Dash cams also help create more comprehensive training for drivers. Fleet managers can use footage from dash cams to make training videos that harness real-life examples instead of simulations. This contextualizes concepts for drivers and helps drive safety points home. Managers can also take advantage of Azuga Coach, which provides extensive and detailed training lessons on a variety of topics, from defensive driving to navigating challenging weather conditions. Any preparation a fleet can give a driver is helpful in keeping them safer on the road.
Conclusion
Safety is always of top concern when making decisions surrounding a fleet business. Dash cams help fleet managers make informed choices that promote good driving behavior and encourage positive driver morale. Protect your fleet with Azuga’s SafetyCam! Reach out to Azuga today to find out what we can do for your business.
