Good driver behaviour caught on camera

The value of drivers having documented video evidence

In many cases, the motivation for installing these cameras might be to get an objective record of an event, for example, cameras that are requested for American police vehicles after the recent incidents of police brutality in the US.

This has proved to be complicated as one-way footage might not give all the context or details that viewers might want to see. But an unexpected benefit is the change of behaviour of people who know they are being filmed.

An article in the Harvard Business Review cited examples of the change of behaviour of employees who were being filmed. These included:

• A field experiment with California’s Rialto Police Department where incidents involving force happened twice as often in shifts where bodycams were not used.

• A Washington University study of 400 restaurants showed that technology-based monitoring reduced the incidents of theft by employees by 22% and continued to drop in the ensuing weeks. Using this technology also resulted in increased productivity and sales.

The author suggests that the upside of surveillance is not in deterring bad behaviour, but in rewarding good behaviour.

He cites the example of a US trucking company that installed DriveCams in their vehicles which then used the  footage to offer one-on-one training with coaches. Drivers were assured that the footage would not be used against them and was only for the purposes of training.

Insurance companies get in on the act

Driver surveillance systems have also been used by insurance companies to encourage good driver behaviour and minimise risky and dangerous behaviour.

US insurance companies have been granted a patent for a driver surveillance system that will monitor (with the driver’s consent) driver behaviour including harsh braking, steering and speeding.

Avis Fleet Telematics and driver behaviour

Fortunately for our customers, we already have a solution that encourages good driver behaviour.

With Avis Fleet Telematics, you can monitor if a driver is speeding, over-revving, braking too fast, or taking an inefficient route.

You can also send alerts to drivers to tell them they are speeding to allow them to rectify the behaviour before it escalates.

Focusing on driver behaviour will have positive effects for your bottom line and on individual driver productivity and wellbeing. Negative driver behaviour results in fuel wastage and the early wear and tear of vehicle parts.

Avis Fleet is a fleet management company with long-standing experience and expertise to help every company optimise its business processes.

Find out more about our fleet solutions, or feel free to contact us directly with any questions you might have regarding our services.