A family in Florida defrauded insurance companies out of $6 million by staging 33 accidents. In another elaborate scheme, a group of individuals from Louisiana swindled $272,500 by staging accidents with commercial vehicles. In comparison, 23 people in Washington staged their way into $657,812 in insurance payouts, and five more in Miami tried the same for a $58,000 check.
The Challenge:
Accidents are common. Unfortunately, staged accidents targeting commercial service vehicles make up a large percentage. There are over 500,000 accidents in the US each month, 25% of which are commercial fleet accidents. And they’re not cheap — the average cost per accident without injuries is $16,500. With injuries, it jumps to $74,000. Motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually in medical care, legal expenses, property damage, and lost productivity.
What makes matters worse is that 70% of these accidents are not the driver's fault. However, without compelling evidence to prove innocence, businesses can easily find themselves in precarious positions like the victims of the Mize family's scams.
The Solution:
So, what can businesses do to protect themselves and their employees when wrongfully accused? Having the facts and context surrounding an accident can help exonerate a driver who wasn’t at fault. Clear evidence can expedite the claims process, saving time and money on litigation.
What constitutes sufficient evidence?
To start, having a video replay of the accident is critical. However, it's not just about the visuals - the date, time, location, speed, and impact points on the vehicles play important roles in establishing the truth.
How Can I Safeguard My Fleet?
Azuga’s Collision Reconstruction feature sends real-time alerts when collisions happen. When risky driving events are detected, the Driver Monitoring System captures videos and processes them through Azuga’s artificial intelligence (AI)-engine. The Azuga AI neural learning network analyzes each driver-facing video for possible distraction events and provides tags to help fleets identify underlying causes of risky events. Collision Reconstruction provides the data needed to exonerate drivers and resolve claims quickly when accidents happen.
- Vehicle, driver, time, date, geolocation
- Maps and photos from Google Maps
- The route taken before the collision
- Direction of impact
- The force of impact (g-force)
- Longitudinal Acceleration (mph/second)
- Lateral Acceleration (mph/second)
- Video playback, synchronized with Google Maps and telematics data playback
This type of fraud remains a prevalent issue, and businesses must take proactive measures to protect themselves and their employees. Gathering compelling evidence is the key to ensuring justice prevails. With Azuga's Collision Reconstruction feature, you can be well-prepared to face any challenges that may arise after an accident, ultimately safeguarding your business's reputation and financial stability. Don't leave your fate to chance; take control of your business's safety today.
What’s next? To learn more about Collision Reconstruction, click here to request a demo.https://www.azuga.com/inquiry/fleet-demo
This blog was written by Alec Stevanovski, founder of Homepros, your free online news source for all things HVAC.
