In an age where every moment on the road can be crucial, dashcams have emerged as an indispensable tool for drivers navigating the streets of the UK. From capturing breathtaking scenery to providing crucial evidence in accidents, these small devices pack a big punch in terms of safety, security, and peace of mind.
For van hire companies like ours, integrating dashcams into their fleet is not just an option but a strategic necessity. These compact cameras serve as silent witnesses, offering invaluable insights into the conduct of drivers and the handling of company vehicles. By providing an unbiased record of events on the road, dashcams help mitigate liability issues, reduce insurance premiums, and enhance overall fleet management. Dashcams encourage safer driving and protect the company’s reputation and finances. In an industry where safety is key, dashcams are essential for van hire companies to keep their vehicles safe and their operations smooth.
Understanding the ins and outs of dashcams in the UK is essential for any conscientious driver. So, buckle up as we cover everything you need to know about these little guardians of the road.
What Is A Dash Camera?
A dashcam, short for dashboard camera, is a small camera mounted on a vehicle’s dashboard or windshield to record footage of the road ahead. These devices continuously capture video footage while the vehicle is in motion, providing a record of events that can be useful for insurance claims, legal disputes, or simply for personal documentation. Dashcams vary in features and capabilities, but most are designed to record high-definition video and may include additional features such as GPS tracking, motion detection, and loop recording.
Dashcam Positioning
Dash cameras are typically positioned to capture the view through your windshield. While larger companies might install additional cameras inside the cab to monitor drivers, at PACE Van Hire, our focus is squarely on road safety. We prioritise what is happening outside the vehicle rather than inside. These cameras are not just a precaution; they are a proactive measure to protect both our customers and ourselves from potential claims. Accidents happen, and it is not always the fault of the person behind the wheel. In cases of disputed liability, dashcam footage can be invaluable. Unlike consumer-grade dashcams, which record locally onto a memory card, our fleet cameras are more advanced. They feature built-in hard drives and function more like a CCTV system, ensuring comprehensive coverage and easier access to footage when needed.
DO DASH CAMERAS WORK WHEN THE VEHICLE IS OFF?
Dashcams can be configured to operate in various modes, depending on your preferences and needs. At PACE Van Hire, our cameras are set to activate automatically when the ignition is turned on. This ensures continuous recording while the vehicle is in motion and for an additional 15 minutes after the ignition is turned off. This feature proves beneficial for scenarios like stop-and-start courier deliveries, where the camera captures uninterrupted footage even during brief stops. Moreover, in the event of an accident, the camera continues recording as individuals exit the vehicle and engage in discussions, providing a comprehensive record of events.
While our setup caters specifically to commercial use, for personal dashcams, the options are even more flexible. Some models can operate 24/7, automatically activating upon impact or movement. These dashcams typically save short intervals of footage continuously, overwriting older footage unless manually saved. More advanced models may include panic buttons to instantly preserve footage of significant events, streamlining the process of locating critical footage amidst hours of recordings. With the availability of affordable large-capacity SD cards, continuous recording has become the norm, ensuring maximum coverage and ease of access to essential footage.
Trackers and dash cameras are frequently integrated to function in tandem, collectively referred to as the telematics unit. This unit is equipped to detect various forces, including G-force and changes in direction, effectively generating crash alerts when necessary. In the event of a crash alert triggered by the tracker, a corresponding panic alarm is activated in the dash camera. This prompts the camera to automatically send footage to us at PACE Van Hire in real-time. Our cameras are equipped with SIM cards, enabling seamless transmission of footage directly from the camera tracker unit, or telematics unit, as a unified system. This integration ensures prompt access to critical footage, enhancing our ability to respond swiftly and effectively to incidents on the road.
DO DASH CAMS RECORD SOUND
Yes, typically dashcams are equipped with audio capabilities, allowing you to capture both video and sound. When considering the importance of audio in dashcams, it becomes evident that it adds another layer of evidence in the event of an incident. For personal dashcam users, having audio can be particularly advantageous. In situations where the impact is not clearly visible in the video footage, such as a side or rear collision, audio can provide crucial context. Hearing the sound of the collision can help establish the timing and severity of the impact, providing additional evidence to support your account of the events. For example, if someone hits your vehicle from behind and you can hear the impact on the audio recording, it serves as clear evidence of when the collision occurred. This combined with the visual evidence from the dashcam footage can help clarify your road position and demonstrate that you were not at fault. Therefore, having audio capabilities in dashcams enhances their effectiveness in documenting incidents on the road.
At PACE Van Hire, we offer the choice to integrate dashcams with vehicle telematics, providing a comprehensive approach to incident documentation. In case of an accident, this combination allows us to not only capture the visual evidence from the dashcam but also to hear the collision. By syncing the audio of the impact with the real-time data reported by the telematics system, we can gain a complete understanding of the circumstances surrounding the event. This synchronised data enables us to accurately assess the situation, facilitating efficient resolution and claims processing.
Are Dash Cams Worth It?
Whether you manage a fleet of vans or you are using for private use, we feel dashcams offer numerous benefits that make them a worthwhile investment for drivers. In our opinion, the primary benefits of dashcams include:
- Evidence in Accidents: Dashcams provide clear, unbiased, accurate evidence in the event of accidents or collisions, helping to determine fault and simplify insurance claims.
This evidence is crucial for resolving disputes, determining fault, and expediting insurance claims, offering clear visual documentation from an unbiased perspective. Dashcam footage reveals important details like vehicle speed, road conditions, and driver actions, aiding legal proceedings. When paired with vehicle telematics, which collect real-time data on performance, including speed and GPS location, the combination enhances evidence quality. Integrating telematics data with dashcam footage provides deeper insights into driver behaviour and road conditions, aiding investigators in accurately determining fault and improving safety measures.
- Protection from fraud: They safeguard against fraudulent claims, such as staged accidents or exaggerated injuries, by providing irrefutable evidence of what truly occurred.
- Peace of mind: Dashcams offer peace of mind while driving, knowing that any incidents or dangerous driving behaviour are being recorded for future reference.
- Encourages safe driving: The knowledge that driving behaviour is being monitored often encourages safer driving habits, leading to reduced accidents and improved road safety.
- High quality dashcam footage: The advancements in camera technology have revolutionised their usefulness in accident scenarios. Today’s cameras offer unparalleled quality and clarity, providing essential details like lane positioning, weather conditions, and even clear identification of number plates. What is more impressive is their performance at night, effectively cutting out glare from headlights for enhanced visibility. While CCTV cameras rely on infrared for nighttime vision, they often struggle with mixed lighting sources, resulting in whiteout footage. This limitation underscores the importance of high-quality dashcams with clear picture quality, especially in low-light conditions, where they outshine their infrared counterparts.
- Security for parked vehicles: Some dashcams have parking mode features that monitor the vehicle while it is parked, capturing footage of any vandalism, theft, or hit-and-run incidents.
- Documentation of road trips: Dashcams can capture memorable moments during road trips, scenic drives, or unexpected events, serving as a visual record of your journeys.
- Lower insurance premiums: Many insurance companies offer discounts for vehicles equipped with dashcams, as they are seen as a proactive measure to mitigate risk and reduce claims. We will take a closer look at this benefit in the next section.
Do Dash Cameras Lower Insurance?
Lots of insurance companies offer discounts for vehicles decked out with dashcams and telematics. It’s like a win-win situation – you get to protect yourself better on the road, and they see it as a smart move to lower risks and cut down on claims. So, not only are you keeping an eye on things, but you’re also saving some cash in the process!
Louis Verrico, Director at PACE Van Hire adds:
“Many insurance companies offer discounts for drivers who use dashcams. For private individuals, simply mentioning that you have one or can provide footage can often lead to lower premiums. But for fleets like ours, dashcams are a game-changer. With a 50% burns ratio, every claim we make essentially doubles our premium the following year. That’s where dashcams come in clutch, saving us heaps of cash by reducing the number of claims we need to file.
But it’s not just about the money – dashcams also streamline the accident process. Gone are the days of hunting down witnesses; now, the footage speaks for itself, often more reliably than a witness ever could. It’s like having an extra set of eyes on the road, making sure you are covered from all angles.
Interestingly, while dashcams are becoming more popular in the UK, they’ve been a staple in countries like China and Russia for years. If you’ve ever seen those viral videos of wild accidents on social media, chances are they’re from places where dashcams are the norm. It’s not just a trend there; it’s practically a requirement, with some countries even mandating their use for insurance purposes. While we’re a bit late to the party in the UK, it’s clear that dashcams are quickly becoming an essential tool for drivers everywhere.”
Dashcams For Fleet Vehicles
At PACE Van Hire, when someone rents a van from us, they are automatically equipped with dash cameras installed in the vehicle. It is not an option; it’s a standard feature. This ensures that both the customer and ourselves are on the same page when it comes to protecting our interests. Customers often want to avoid paying excess fees, while we aim to minimise insurance claims, so having cameras in place benefits us both.
If a business rents a van from us and their driver is behind the wheel, they do not have direct access to the footage captured by our cameras. While they can request access, this typically only happens in the event of an accident or if there is a specific concern about driver behaviour, like falling asleep at the wheel. However, access to footage depends on whether the driver has signed a hire agreement. If they have, the business can request footage; if not, access is limited.
As for telematics, all our vans come equipped with them from a retail perspective, but businesses may need to pay for this feature. Telematics provide valuable fleet scoring data, allowing businesses to monitor their drivers’ behaviour, driving history, and receive crash alerts. We offer packages for businesses to have their own telematics logins, providing them with insights into their drivers’ performance and ensuring they stay informed about their fleet’s operations.
Verrico adds:
“When dashcam footage teams up with vehicle telematics data, you’ve got a powerhouse combo for incident coverage and reporting. Take a recent crash one of our customers had in one of our vehicles, for example. The moment the crash occurred at around 9am, our tracker instantly pinged a crash alert, triggering the dashcam to start sending footage. While telematics alone can provide loads of incident details, having dashcam footage gives us a complete 360-degree view, backing up what we see in the data. It’s truly remarkable technology.
Now, this tech isn’t entirely new, but it’s gotten a major boost since the advent of 4G. With 4G, footage can be sent lightning fast. However, in this instance, the van had an older unit operating on 3G, so it took a bit longer—about 4-5 hours—to receive the footage after the crash alert. But with a 4G unit, we’d have known what happened almost immediately.
In the past, we dealt with old dashcams that had internal memory cards. Waiting for the vehicle to return meant risking overwritten footage, a major headache. That’s why we upgraded to cameras with 128GB cards, a significant improvement over the previous 32GB limit. Now, we have ample storage to capture hours of driving without worrying about losing crucial footage. It’s a much better system all around.”
In conclusion, vehicle dashcams offer a myriad of benefits for drivers in the UK, from enhanced safety to reliable evidence in the event of accidents. While not legally mandated, their legality on UK roads makes them a popular choice among drivers looking to protect themselves and their vehicles. Dashcams provide peace of mind for individuals and businesses alike, offering clear documentation of incidents and aiding in insurance claims. For businesses with a fleet of hired vans, dashcams are particularly invaluable, helping to mitigate risks, reduce insurance premiums, and streamline incident management. By harnessing the power of dashcams, drivers and businesses can navigate the roads with confidence, knowing that they have a reliable witness by their side.
If you or your business need a van, whether on a short term or long term basis, give the team at PACE Van Hire a call, we’d love to discuss our wide range of options with you.
