Transforming Fleet Safety with AI Smartcam Behaviour Recognition

These statistics highlight how prevalent driving-for-work MVAs are and how important preventative measures have become.

For fleet managers, driver and pedestrian safety is paramount, and many are turning to technology for assistance. In the past few years, AI-powered dash cams have increasingly been recognised for the role they play in enhancing safety through behaviour recognition and promoting safer driving practices. This trend looks set to grow as these dash cams become even more sophisticated.

Technology Combats Distracted Driving

The three main types of distraction while driving include cognitive (losing focus on the task of driving), visual (not looking at the road), and manual (the driver removing their hands from the wheel). Some activities performed by drivers while driving include all three distraction types, such as texting while driving.

AI-powered dash cams can help drivers avoid these distractions by identifying and alerting them to risky and potentially hazardous behaviours. The various features of dash cams become a link in the chain that enables managers to combat these distractions through talking, tracking, and training.

In this regard, talking refers to communicating the potential dangers of these distractions as well as the importance of safe driving practices. Tracking refers to the tracking of pertinent data points such as driver behaviour, road conditions, driver status, and accident documentation by AI. Training refers to online and/or behind-the-wheel training with an emphasis on safety protocols.

By leveraging the behaviour recognition features of AI dash cams, fleet managers can support drivers in inculcating safer driving practices into their own driving. This should help to minimise the number of accidents that could have been avoided or prevented by truck drivers.

Driver Behaviour Analysis

By monitoring driver behaviour continually in real time, dash cams can identify various indicators of potentially hazardous driving or that the driver is distracted. Some of the signs of potentially dangerous driving behaviours include braking harshly, accelerating rapidly, making sharp turns, turning or changing lanes without indicating, and drifting out of the lane.

Among the signs of driver distraction that AI dash cams can identify include smoking, using a smartphone or other device, and other activities that distract the driver from the road. Facial recognition technology also allows some dash cams to monitor the driver’s face for signs of drowsiness or fatigue by tracking blinking patterns and eye movements and assessing their level of alertness.

In the event of the dash cam detecting signs of driver distraction or fatigue, it will provide immediate feedback in the form of real-time alerts to the driver. These alerts may be audible, visual, or via smartphone notifications. If the dash cam detects signs of drowsiness or fatigue, it can prompt the driver to take a break from driving and to rest. Fleet managers can work with drivers to customise the AI dash cam system’s sensitivity when setting thresholds for alert triggers.

Other AI Dash Cam Features

In addition to driver behaviour recognition, AI dash cams boast numerous other features that can enhance driver and vehicle safety, ultimately translating to greater road safety. Some dash cams score driver behaviour based on five KPIs, including speeding, acceleration, cornering, braking, and idling, and then calculate reports and league tables for easy analysis.

For example, the Crystal Ball SmartCam also has driver identification features that drivers can use to verify business and private mileage, GPS fleet tracking, and vehicle maintenance checklists accessible via a driver app for easier regular inspections.

By combining cutting-edge artificial intelligence with a high-quality dash cam, AI dash cams have the potential to turn driver safety training into a measurable exercise.