Already one of the largest monthly expenses faced by commercial vehicle fleet owners, insurance rates rose by as much as 25% in 2023 and are set to continue increasing. Insurers use a variety of factors to determine insurance prices, such as vehicle age and upkeep, driver experience, and the number of accidents the fleet’s drivers and vehicles have been involved in.
Of these factors, the most difficult one to control is accident numbers – until now. AI-powered 4G dash cams have begun to play a crucial role in improving fleet safety, reducing the number of accidents, and lowering trucking insurance costs.
Driver Behaviour and Unsafe Driving
4G dash cams powered by artificial intelligence can analyse driver behaviour, vehicle movements, and even potential obstacles or hazards on the road. These features make dash cams potentially powerful tools in reducing the number of accidents on the road.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were approximately 415,000 accidents involving large trucks in 2020 alone. Of these, 101,000 were injury crashes, and 4,444 were fatal crashes. While commercial vehicle and truck drivers are not always responsible for accidents they are involved in, their vehicles are bigger and heavier than passenger vehicles and, as a result, can cause significantly greater damage and more severe injuries.
The FMCSA also revealed that 71% of accidents involving large trucks were caused by drivers being distracted and that 13% of commercial vehicle drivers were fatigued or drowsy when they crashed. Some accidents are caused by skidding as a result of driving too fast, over-accelerating, over-steering, or over-braking. Whatever the cause of avoidable or preventable truck and commercial vehicle accidents, they can and do impact insurance costs.
Owner-operators now have a lifeline in the form of AI-powered 4G dash cams that can help improve fleet safety and thereby reduce insurance costs by constantly monitoring driver behaviour in real-time.
Powerful Dash Cam Features
By constantly monitoring the drivers of commercial vehicles and trucks, AI-powered 4G dash cams can identify signs that drivers are distracted. Some of the signs of distraction picked up by these cameras include using a smartphone, smoking, and other activities that result in the driver not looking at the road.
Some smart cameras use facial recognition technology to assess drivers’ eye movements and blinking patterns for signs of drowsiness or fatigue. Dash cams from Crystal Ball can also identify and score drivers based on KPIs, including acceleration, speeding, cornering, braking, and idling. In addition to scoring and generating reports based on these KPIs, smart cameras can send alerts or notifications to drivers and fleet managers instantly.
The role AI-powered 4G dash cams can play in improving fleet safety isn’t limited to monitoring driver behaviour. They also offer features such as GPS fleet tracking, an identification function that drivers can use to verify their identity and their business and private mileage to fleet managers, and vehicle maintenance checklists. These checklists are accessible via a driver app and enable drivers to complete regular vehicle inspections for easier, more thorough maintenance, thereby improving fleet safety.
Together, these features make dash cams indispensable tools for improving driver behaviour, vehicle upkeep, and road safety, ultimately inspiring greater trust and confidence as well as reducing insurance costs.
Tyler Hoffman is a versatile writer and blogger who thrives on the excitement of exploring an array of topics. With a keen interest in everything from technology and travel to health and lifestyle, Tyler crafts engaging content that appeals to a diverse audience. His writing style is both informative and entertaining, making complex subjects easy to understand.
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