San Diego, CA. SmartDrive Systems announced the release of its new SmartDrive Assurance product line, offering a range of camera, integration and program configuration options for fleets. The announcement was made here at the 2014 ATA Management Conference & Exhibition.
With SmartDrive Assurance, fleets that want to measurably reduce risk by adding a video-based safety program can now select from three different packages designed to target their specific risk areas.
“Carriers operate in a complex environment, with new regulations, advanced technology and an explosion of data coming from all areas of their business,” said Steve Mitgang, CEO of SmartDrive. “Unfortunately, fleets are too often forced into a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution as a way to manage that complexity. SmartDrive takes a different approach, delivering a video-based safety platform that offers maximum flexibility without compromising ease-of-use or effectiveness.”
“Not all fleets have the active safety systems with which we integrate,” Jason Palmer, president of SmartDrive, told Fleet Owner. “With this modular approach, you can buy just what you need.”
Fleets do have the option to integrate any Assurance package with on-board active safety systems, including collision mitigation, following distance, lane departure warning systems, roll-stability control and more, generating more value from existing safety investments.
“This integration allows us to capture and understand more types of data that are early indicators of risk,” Mitgang told Fleet Owner. With data related to collision avoidance systems, for instance, even without hard-braking events, we can see signs of aggressive driving behavior, such as following too closely, when the system is always tapping the brakes for the driver. If the lane departure warning goes off, we can use the video to determine if the driver was just avoiding road debris or swerving because of a distraction like texting.
It is important to get down to root causes, he added. Video provides proof that fleets can use to more effectively coach out bad behaviors. Without video, you don’t know for sure if an unusual behavior was a good maneuver or a bad one.
SmartDrive’s three packages include:
- SmartDrive Assurance: For fleets that want to implement a video-based safety program but choose to start with a road-facing only camera, this package focuses on capturing collisions; exonerating drivers when not at fault; and identifying high-risk driving behaviors such as speeding, stop sign compliance and U-turns. Fleets can upgrade at any point in their subscription to include the interior-facing camera.
- SmartDrive Assurance Pro: For fleets focused on maximum protection and risk prevention with interior- and road-facing cameras and an integrated safety program to help identify great driving and also capture collisions and the full range of risky driving behaviors and associated root causes that lead to collisions.
- Smart Drive Assurance 360: Developed to deliver the most coverage for different types of collisions and risk with an ‘up-to-four-camera’ deployment configuration,. According to SmartDrive, with an expanded view in and around the vehicle, fleets can focus on compliance-related risk as well as their most-frequent types of collisions, including those caused by backing, unintended lane changes, roll-overs and close following from passenger vehicles.,
This level of coverage is made possible by integrating other on-board cameras, such as blind-spot and backing cameras, with the SmartDrive system. With this solution, fleets can leverage existing cameras already installed in the vehicle, extending the value of their investment.
Assurance 360 is currently in field testing, according to Palmer. “We are just starting our pilot program to add up to four total cameras on the vehicle, he said. SmartDrive is taking applications from fleets interested in this early-adopter program.
