Some fleet operators are already achieving claim cost savings of up to 50%, according to Aron Sopp, head of call centre operations at Sopp+Sopp – although much depends on the processes in place to harness the technology to best effect – and particularly to take advantage of first notification of loss (FNOL).
“Rapid liability assessment and third party intervention are essential when reducing claims costs,” stated Sopp. “So being alerted and having access to immediate video footage of an incident, along with supporting telematics data, is essential.”
For Sopp, the benefits of 3G cameras and efficient processes also include increased brand protection, avoidance of unnecessary costs, and easier detestation of opportunistic and organised fraud.
For Sam Footer, head of international business at Intelligent Telematics, however, SD card-based cameras remain a problem.
“In our opinion, SD card devices are now redundant technology as there is no live connectivity to provide immediate access to footage or enable the cameras to be maintained remotely,” explained Footer.
“This means fleet operators are reliant on drivers proactively reporting a collision straight away and not tampering with the data,” he continued.
“In addition, there is a significant risk of lost or corrupted data from SD card failures, which can be as high as 30 per cent.”
In contrast, 3G vehicle cameras transmits footage of accidents, near misses and harsh driving events via a secure private network.
As a result, high definition video can be viewed remotely through a web-based portal within minutes, with email and SMS alerts generated immediately after incidents.