Dash cams are becoming more affordable, more useful, more popular, and more widely-adopted in fleet vehicles. Here are some reasons why you should consider adding dash cams to your fleet.
1. Reduce Insurance Disputes
Insurance claims can be processed very slowly after an accident where the cause is unclear. An insurance company may want to wait to see if the situation will be litigated, or the insurer may want to conduct its own investigation into what happened. This can take weeks of collecting statements from all the involved drivers, passengers, and nearby witnesses. One good dash cam video clip of what happened can render the rest of the evidence-collection process a waste of time, and that can reduce downtime for your drivers and also lead to a faster payout from your insurer.
2. Avoid “Cash-for-Crash” Scams
In recent years there has been a great deal of reporting on scammers that exploit states with no-fault auto insurance. Under this system, anyone in a car accident is entitled to insurance payment for damages, and the government generally will not get involved in determining who is at fault. Coverage limits can be up to $50,000 in some states, and this draws in scammers. The drivers are paid quick cash afterwards to go to a clinic that is in on the scheme. The driver signs numerous forms and the clinic files insurance claims for all types of bogus ailments. Sometimes, these schemes involve two drivers being paid to hit each other, but they can also target fleet vehicles knowing that fleet vehicles are more likely to be insured. If a fleet vehicle can catch the accident on a dash cam, it is often able to show that the accident was staged.
3. Promote Safer Driving
A dashboard camera system like ZenduCAM brings a wealth of driver information to the table that can improve the behavior of drivers. For example, a dash cam will typically record the forward-looking “driver’s eye” view to see what the driver saw and was reacting too. This can be paired with telematics information that collects, for example, speed and location information to find out when a driver breaks the speed limit. The driver cannot say that he had to speed up to pass someone if dash cam footage shows otherwise. Cameras can also be installed to watch the driver’s behavior to make sure he or she is paying attention to the road and not using a phone inappropriately. All this information can be made part of a comprehensive driver-training program.
4. Get Up-Front Insurance Savings
Insurers are falling in love with dash cams. Video of an accident reduces the odds of an insurer having to pay a false claim. It also reduces the need to expend a great deal of money determining the cause of an accident. Moreover, insurers always appreciate a comprehensive safety training system and utilizing telematics and camera information can make such systems stronger. For these reasons, insurance companies are becoming more willing to offer discounts to fleet managers with dash cams.