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Lights, camera action: SmartWitness to launch ‘van cam’ at CV Show

Telematics CV Show
Next month’s Commercial Vehicle Show (NEC, Birmingham; 26-28 April) will see the launch of VanProtect, a new ‘van cam’ bespoke product from SmartWitness, designed for commercial vehicles ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 tonnes.

Visitors to the show can see demonstrations of the package, which includes a forward-facing high resolution video camera, a 120ft rear-view infrared camera and a dashboard-mounted monitor.

The rear-view camera monitor activates as soon as the driver engages reverse gear, giving visibility of any potential hazards behind the vehicle.

The solution is built around SmartWitness’s forward-facing KP1 camera, with 1080 HD footage across a 170-degree range.

In the event of an incident, the camera’s G sensors can calculate speed and force of collision, and the camera’s processor automatically buffers 10 seconds either side of the impact so that all incident details are recorded.

SmartWitness also offers an enhanced VanProtect+ package, featuring 3G/4G instant video transmission with built-in vehicle location and telematics data. Notifications are delivered to fleet managers and insurers in less than one minute, says the company.

SmartWitness CEO Paul Singh says so-called ‘cash for crash’ gangs typically target van fleets more than HGVs: “You simply must have video evidence to get rid of these kinds of fraudulent claims.”

Singh says the system will benefit an owner-driver up to a fleet of 30 vans, with its in-built email and web notification technologies. It can also be used for multi-national fleets, by integrating cameras with existing telematics software.

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