It’s Official! Technology Reduces Accidents, so Says Readers of Commercial Motors & Motor Transport.
SM UK are excited to witness first-hand new research from Brigade Electronics, confirming the benefits of vehicle-mounted cameras and video technology.
Once again ‘road safety’ has commissioned Brigade Electronics to an in-depth survey on the readers of Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazine, to acquire their views and assessments as to why they use cameras and video technology on their fleets.
· How useful are they?
· What they consider?
· When do they decide to invest?
Brigade Electronics analysis shows that 59% of respondents said the installation of camera systems/ digital recording had reduced collisions or near misses by more than 10% - decreasing incidents and fatalities on the road and in workplaces, 55% suggested that it had improved driver behaviour.
44% stated safety technology had aided in insurance claims, highlighting the benefits of cameras, protects their drivers from unwarranted claims, that includes crash-for-cash scams.
12% of respondents suggested cameras be a contractual requirement. Whilst one-fifth of operators had no plans to use road safety technology, with the most frequent reasoning (44%) being that it is not deemed relevant to the operation.
However, adjustments to the Highway code will now fuel the responsibility of commercial vehicle drivers, ranking them under any other road users who are less likely to make an impactful collision. It’s now more important than ever to be able to alleviate the risk factor, especially when the blame is placed on vehicle type.
Hanson-Abbott at Brigade Electronics said: “It’s good to see that the benefits of cameras and other safety technology are being recognised by fleet operators. As cameras on their own are a passive technology that does not alert the driver to take such action, Brigade always recommends that they are combined with active technology such as sensor systems with driver alerts to reduce collisions”
“However, there is still some way to go. Only 47% of fleets have 100% of vehicles fitted with the technology – despite overwhelming evidence regarding safety improvement and saving lives. That said, only 2% of operators said their fleets had no safety technology at all, which is encouraging”.
The survey was able to provide how quickly the benefits convinced customers to continue using the technology. On a scale of 1 to 5, 73% rate vehicle camera and recording technology as a 4 or 5 star rating.
SM UK are pleased to have Brigade Electronics on board, knowing that road safety is paramount. Steve MacDonald, managing director of SM UK stated, “The main reason for using Brigade Electronics products is due to the intensive process they undertake, to ensure their products are reliable, safe and fit for purpose”.