Have you installed a dash cam in your HGV? We hope that you have! If you haven’t, you are missing a trick. The installation of a dash cam in your HGV could possibly be one of the most important investments that you ever make to ensure the longevity of your HGV licence and your life.
Dash cams, have over the years managed to capture some shocking footage from accidents all over the globe, but almost always in the form of a lorry, van, or other commercial vehicle incidents. It sometimes might prove AutoVillage that the driver was unsafe, but dash cam footage can also prove that an HGV driver was not at fault in case of an accident thus helping clear his/her name.
Cobra UK, a provider of security solutions, has actually asked the government to legislate for front-facing cameras in commercial vehicles to guard against crash for cash scams. Even if the government has still not heeded this advice, there are numerous reasons to consider installing a dash cam in your HGV, such as:
Table of Contents
1. Guarding Against ‘Crash For Cash’ Scams
Over the last 5 years, the insurances of ‘crash for cash’ have been on the rise. Due to their nature, it is usually hard, if not impossible for drivers to protect themselves against such; unless you have a dash cam installed.
If you have previously never heard of a ‘crash for cash’ scam, it goes something like this. A scammer pulls in front of a vehicle, typically on a fast-moving stretch of road. They then intentionally do something that causes an accident such as slamming on the brakes without any reason or slow down their vehicle without triggering the brake lights. This causes the unsuspecting victim to crash into them from behind, which is something that insurance companies won’t find hard to find the crash-er at fault for.
If a dash cam is installed, the driver can prove that the accident was caused deliberately and that he/she was not at fault.
2. Insurance Evidence
Even when there isn’t any evidence of the accident being a result of a ‘cash for crash’ scam, a dash cam can still be quite useful when it comes to determining liability with insurance providers. The majority of cases are determined exclusively on eyewitness testimony, which is spotty at best and usually misses important details.
Dash cams, however, can provide insurance companies with factual, impartial evidence to help determine who is actually responsible for the accident. It is an excellent way to avoid disputes and help you avoid being found at fault for an accident that you did not cause.
3. Lower Insurance Premiums
Whether you drive a single HGV or run a fleet of them, you are probably aware that insurance can be quite expensive. It is even worse if you have not had your licence for a long time or you were previously the victim of a ‘cash for crash’ scam.
Fortunately, insurance companies have started realising just how much dash cams simplify their work, close cases faster, and make blurry eye-witness testimony a relic of the past. In fact, insurance providers love dash cams so much that some have actually started offering discounts for drivers that install dash cams in their vehicles.
Simply put, dash cams are not only an excellent way to protect yourself, but you can enjoy some excellent savings too. Best Prices for used Mercedes SLK cars.
4. Create a Record of Driver Behaviour
Then you have the divisive option. If you have a fleet of HGVs, this could be a fantastic bonus to installing dash cams, but for the drivers, it could be hard to get on with, and if you are independent, then it really does not have much of an impact.
However, if you are a fleet manager, a dual-lens dash cam allows you to monitor driver behaviour and improve it too. It can work well with the existing telemetric data and ensure that your drivers actually drive responsibly and represent your company at its best.