Camera systems utilized by fleets to capture both on-highway and in-the-cab behavior are the subject of our July 2014 cover story; access Part 1 of that story online via this link.With Part 1 of our feature on the “video witnesses” in the form of dual road- and driver-facing cameras up and running, I thought I’d share a few installments in the SmartDrive company’s series of vids detailing different cases where video evidence of on-highway events proved beneficial to trucking companies and drivers. If you’re running a road-facing dash cam of your own today, these may just be further proof of what you already know — the power of video to exonerate a driver who’s doing things right in the event of an accident.
If you’re not running a dash cam, forward-facing cameras that are triggered to save clips by g-force events like accidents can be had for relatively minimal cost. The long-established Videodashcam.com site, geared specifically toward truckers, has numerous such examples on offer. Brad Willis, an independent I quizzed about his own dashcam for the feature, uses a sophisticated Blue Tiger model he picked up for under $150. As he puts it in the feature, having the camera mounted visibly in the windshield has produced benefits beyond event-recording on the road. It’s also a good theft-deterrent. Contrary to incidents that occurred during the time prior to having the camera there, “nothing has been touched [by thieves] on my truck since installing it.”
If you run a dash cam yourself, tell us in the comments below whether you’d recommend any particular model or not — or whether specific functions are ideal.
Now for those vids, from SmartDrive’s “Great Driving Insights” series. In each video, a case is detailed in which the system worked to the benefit of the trucking company and driver after video evidence exonerated the driver from false accusations.
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