Disclaimer: Please be aware that this article refers to the use of dashcams in the U.S. Privacy laws vary from country to country and even from state to state, so we recommend you exert discretion when deploying any monitoring device. 

Perhaps you’ve already heard about dashcams as a solution to protect your fleet company and drivers from road and park accidents. Using dashcams has become commonplace for American fleet operators. The global dashboard camera market size was estimated at USD 3.2 billion in 2020. Dashboard cameras ensure companies’ accountability, driver safety, and avoid falsified testimony in the event of an accident. Did you know that outfitting your vehicles with a dashcam could lower your insurance premium cost in the long run? Read on for more examples of the advantage of dashcams for your drivers and insurance premiums. 

Related article: An Extra Set of Eyes On The Road: How Dashcams Can Improve Fleet Driver Safety

Why Would I Want a Dashcam? 

Companies purchase dashcams for two primary purposes – to produce evidence in case of an accident or crime, and keep an eye on their drivers’ behaviors. Driver behavior can manifest in many ways including driving impact, parking impact, over-speeding, hard acceleration, hard cornering, and harsh braking. That is why purchasing a dashcam that can detect these various driving situations will give you a better understanding of your drivers’ driving style.

Here are six reasons why you may want to put a dash camera in your vehicle: 

1. To have a record of your accident 
2. To get out of a ticket 
3. To help fight insurance fraud 
4. To make a better driver 
5. To have an eye on your unattended vehicle 
6. To capture unexpected events 

It’s important to understand that your dashcam will help your company manage those daily risks and also incite responsible and safe driving behaviors. 

Is Dashcam Footage Legal in Court? 

You may want to find out first if the dashcam is legal in court, depending on your company’s location. 

Depending on the jurisdiction, in most cases, dashcam footage is acceptable in court. It will be highly beneficial if there are doubts about who caused an accident or how it was presented. 

For example, Alaska law declares that dashcams are legal as long as they don’t block the driver’s view.

In North Carolina, dashcams should record events in public view in a public area—the court won’t consider footage made on private property or if your drivers’ vehicles are parked and facing private property. 

Managing Risk and Driver Behaviors 

The benefits of this great tool will help you avoid unfair situations or claims. If another driver crashes into your car or hits your parked car and takes off, you can review the dashcam footage and determine the individual responsible.

With the footage, you will show your insurance company what caused your claim and defend yourself from an overcharge. 

It will also help you determine how your driver behaves and if they are responsible for any accident or event. On the contrary, it can protect your driver from fake testimony or prove their reliability.

Remember that you must inform your drivers and passengers of any equipment that records video or audio inside the vehicle. You should turn off the camera if they refuse to approve because it’s a violation of privacy for some jurisdictions. 

Drivers feel troubled at the idea of supervisors seeing into the transportations. Long-haul drivers reported the vehicles are their home used to sleep and eat in. Drivers can oppose being watched in their home. 

Note: If your driver has an accident and is accompanied by a passenger who wasn’t aware of the recordings, you may not be able to use the recording if the passenger disagrees. Inform any person in the vehicle they will be recorded.

Dashcams Reduce Insurance Premiums in the Long Run

A dashcam can prevent you from losing a discount on the premium insurance you spent years building up.  Regrettably, no major American auto insurer reduces your premiums if you have a dashcam placed.

Still, if your dashcam footage shows that you were not at fault in a collision or captures the driver’s identity who hit and run your company vehicle, it can protect your company and drivers from depositing a claim on your car insurance policy. Your dashcam footage evidence will block the chance of a sudden premium increase. 

Managing a dashcam permits insurance companies to correctly and instantly find fault liability, considering video footage to act as independent witnesses to settle disputes. To show what occurred in the event of an insurance claim, you can easily send the dashcam footage directly to your insurer for viewing.

Choose the Best Dashcams for Your Fleet

At BlackVue, we want to protect your company and drivers as much as you do!

Our team worked on premium models and improved technology. Our ever-improving app and cloud system let fleet managers and users can see the event type that occured in a road incident (Impact, Harsh breaking or cornering, etc.) and access live footage instantly or browse  recorded footage remotely.

Our fleet tracking solution offers unlimited remote live view, live GPS tracking, 90-day GPS tracking history, and many more features supported by a wide range of models, including but not limited to: 

• 1. DR750X-1CH, 2CH
• 2. DR750X-2CH IR Plus (Interior IR version for cabin recording)  
• 2. DR750X-2CH Truck Plus (Truck version) 

Our company offers a fleet tracking solution for small and huge businesses, meaning that everyone can reap the safety and financial benefits of dashcams.

The Best Solution to Protect your Fleet Vehicles

You’ve learned how dashcams will help you provide evidence and encourage drivers to behave responsibly. Retain that dashcams could document risky driving and serve you to protect your company in a lawsuit, or it could capture video of someone attempting to steal your vehicle. Implementing dashcams in your fleet vehicles and informing your drivers will improve your business profitability. 

You are just one step away from improving your business and lowering situations that could increase your premium insurance. Protect your fleet company and drivers by reaching out to Blackvue’s team today.