Charlotte Haye 21st November 2018

Why You Want A Dash-Cam In Your HGV

Does your HGV have a dash cam? For some companies, they are an absolute must, but we’re always surprised by how many HGV drivers don’t know what they are, or why they would be beneficial for their driving experience, and their career. But buying and installing a dash cam could be the single most important investment you make into your safety and your continued career. Over the years, dash cams have managed to capture some truly astonishing footage from accidents around the world, but almost always in the form of van, lorry or other commercial vehicles. And that footage has been used to vindicate drivers from fault when accidents do happen because they are a true representation of events, uncoloured by human memory. In fact, security solutions provider Cobra UK has asked the government to legislate for front-facing cameras in commercial vehicles, as a way to protect against crash for cash scams. But even if the government hasn’t heeded this advice, there are plenty of reasons you should consider installing dash cam in your HGV. Here are just 4:

Protect You From ‘Crash For Cash’ Scams

‘Crash for cash’ scams have been on the increase over the last few years, and there is almost no way to protect against them. Except for a dash cam. You see, a ‘crash for cash’ scheme is when a fraudster will deliberately stage and cause an accident with another road user, who is behind them. This usually means the fraudster slamming on the brakes suddenly or unnecessarily, or slowing down on a busy road. Without any evidence, it looks like the victim has slammed into the rear end of the fraudster, and becomes a pretty open and shut case for the police and insurance agencies. But with a dash cam, you can see when the accident was deliberately caused, and prove that the driver isn’t at fault. If you’re not sure what we mean, just take a look at this video, taken from the dash cam of a commercial HGV’s cab.

As you can see, the driver let their car coast in the fast lane of a dual carriageway. The driver of the HGV saw this and stopped long before contact was made. But the car behind the HGV didn’t see this, hit the HGV and forced the HGV forward into the fraudsters car. Without this footage, the HGV driver would have been found at fault, probably lost his job and potentially lost his licence too.

Provide Evidence For Insurance Claims

Even if there is no evidence that a parking or traffic accident was a result of a crash for cash scam, dash cams can still be useful in providing evidence for insurance claims and clear up any confusion. Usually, insurance claims are decided via eyewitness testimony, which is notoriously unreliable and hazy at the best of times. But a dash cam provides objective evidence of what happened and who was at fault, so the insurance company can come to a fair decision. Dash cams have saved a lot of HGV drivers from being found at fault for things that weren’t actually their fault and is a great way to avoid disputes.

Reduce Your Insurance Premium Payments

If you run a fleet of HGV’s, then you know just how expensive insuring them all can be. It’s even more expensive if you have drivers who have issues with their licence, or who have been the victim of a ‘crash for cash’ scheme in the past. This increased cost can have a huge impact on your business. But the insurance industry is starting to realise that businesses who install dash cams are helping to solve the ‘who’s responsible’ question, and many brokers are starting to offer discounts to firms who install dash cams. This might take some shopping around, but it can add up to big savings!

Record and Monitor Driver Behaviour

And finally, it’s a great way to introduce accountability for your drivers. Dash cam footage can tell you an awful lot about your driver’s behaviour and driving style, even from the one angle. And with a lot of dash cams now coming with dual lenses, you can see the driver’s behaviour up close. This means dash cams can partner with the telematics system in the HGV and give you a clear view of how your drivers are behaving on the road. This means you can create incentives for good driving, and you can intervene if you feel they are driving unsafely. So as well as keeping an eye on the other people on the road, dash cams can also provide companies with confidence when it comes to their own driver performance and safety.

At Easy as HGV, we strongly recommend having a dash cam installed in every HGV. Whether you run a fleet of them for your business or you are an independent HGV driver, a dash cam is worth its weight in gold. If you’d like to know more about dash cams, and which models we recommend, just get in touch with us today.

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