In a typical group of employees who drive company vehicles, 15 to 20 percent of them will represent 80 percent of the risk. Read that again, because it’s a game-changer that should cause utility companies to seriously consider a dual-facing (both driver- and road-facing) dash cam system.
Dual-facing dash cam video footage helps identify company drivers who use poor judgment behind the wheel and correct those behaviors quickly, much like a football coach reviewing game film with an athlete.
The goal is to identify and address dangerous behaviors before an accident happens, protecting your company’s equipment from damage … your employees and others on the road from harm … your company from costly litigation … your insurance rates from skyrocketing … and your brand name from bad publicity.
In a recent J. J. Keller survey of 211 companies, 70 percent of respondents who implemented dash cams shared the main benefits:
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Hard braking events were tracked and analyzed for trends (53% of respondents)
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Improvement in driver training (47% of respondents)
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Lower legal fees and litigation risks (45% of respondents)
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Decrease in the number of insurance claims (45% of respondents)
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Decrease in the average value of insurance claims (41% of respondents)
Spot It & Stop It
The reality is that unsafe driving behaviors from a few employees can pose a significant financial risk to your utility company. But with dual-facing cameras, you can spot behaviors that are linked to a future risk of accidents, including but not limited to:
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Cellphone use
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Lane drift
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Speeding
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Hard acceleration
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Hard braking
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Tailgating
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Cornering too fast
With the dash cam video footage, you can properly address the behavior with the employee. And often the mere presence of a dash cam in your vehicle can prevent unsafe driving behavior in the first place!
The Threat of “Nuclear” Verdicts
An American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) study1 published in July 2020 found that from:
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2006-2010 there were only 26 accident litigation cases with verdicts over $1 million
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2015-2019 there were nearly 300 cases of over $1 million
The study determined that pre-crash actions by companies are critical. To avoid these “nuclear” verdicts, plaintiff and carrier defense attorneys agreed that crash avoidance is everything. Proactive correction of unsafe behaviors, along with documentation of your actions, is imperative. And it’s all made easier with a dash cam system, as it proves the commitment of your utility company to reducing driver risk.
Dash cam video clips can also be pivotal in proving that your driver was doing the right things at the right time. Exoneration of even one driver involved in a crash with potential significant litigation risk will pay for the dash cam investment many times over.
As a utility company, it’s important to remember that for your employees, getting to the job site can be even more hazardous than working at the job site.
1. Understanding the Impact of Nuclear Verdicts on the Trucking Industry
