Driving security in the transport sector
Emily Hardy of vehicle technology provider Brigade Electronics discusses how vehicle CCTV is not only cutting insurance costs and boosting safety, but helping to prevent crime and improve security, both on the road and on-site
With many businesses having to reduce staff and temporarily close depots in recent months, theft and vandalism have been unwelcome side-effects of the lockdown for many companies.
For any business, dealing with these security issues is a costly and time-consuming matter. Deterring criminals and providing solid evidence in the event of a security breach can be difficult and expensive to achieve without suitable technology and credible eyewitnesses.
While companies have reopened, the powers recently awarded to councils to enforce regional and local lockdowns mean that there is still a real possibility that closures might happen again in the future. Ensuring property and vehicles are kept secure and protected from theft and vandalism during this time is therefore crucial.
Technology has made great strides in recent years in addressing the security problem. Vehicle-mounted cameras are providing the perfect solution to the issues encountered by transport managers, offering invaluable recorded footage and accurate witness accounts for incidents – both of which can be used to help settle conflicting reports or false claims.
However, it’s not just settling disputes as the result of collisions that make mobile digital recorders a worthwhile investment. The features offered by devices, such as Brigade’s four and eight-camera digital recording systems, also deter vandals, encourage driver best practice, and offer peace of mind for passengers and drivers.
In fact, research undertaken in its infancy has i
ndicated that data recorders fitted to trucks and vans result in an average reduction of 20 per cent in the number of crashes and damage. In turn this has protected drivers and helped to lower insurance premiums. Yet, digital cameras are still not fitted as standard to commercial vehicles.
The introduction of Wi-Fi, 4G connectivity and cloud services has provided additional benefits for mobile digital recorders.
Not only does it mean data can be accessed and streamed from the recorder without physically having to go to the vehicle – particularly helpful in the event of a collision and for maintaining a safe social distance – a compatible mobile app can also provide live views, updates and real-time alerts.
This not only saves many man-hours downloading data, but also allows companies to be immediately notified of any incident.
Programmed triggers can reassure operators on the security of their vehicles, with alerts sent to either their PC or mobile if an event occurs. Operators can also benefit from geofencing, which allows geographical boundaries to be set up allowing operators to know when a vehicle enters and leaves these areas.
Brigade’s Mobile Digital Recorder allows up to 12 geofence areas to be set per system. As well as geofencing, other alarm notifications can be set for speeding, G-Force, HDD error and video.
By utilising vehicle-mounted cameras and mobile digital recording, companies across the country are seeing instant benefits.
Being able to obtain recorded footage where there are conflicting reports of actual events, whether through genuine misunderstanding, or a staged crash-for-cash accident, companies are making major cost savings in the long-term, whilst supporting their drivers, who are often the subject of increased scrutiny after an accident.
Wren Kitchens recently installed Brigade’s camera monitoring systems and Bridge 4G Cloud Service to its entire fleet so that its products could be closely monitored throughout a driver’s journey.
This system means the transport manager will be notified of significant events, such as a collision, and allows them to review footage, which is captured from seven cameras mounted inside and outside the vehicle.
Not only does this provide irrefutable evidence in case of an accident, but it will also show how and why a product was damaged. This data is used to improve packing, driver training, product handling and driver protection as well as deter thieves or false insurance claims
Lee Halls, transport manager at Wren Kitchens, said: “The Bridge system is easy to use and the instant live feed means we don’t even have to access the vehicle to review any footage. It’s a great system and means we can solve any issues pretty much instantly.”
