LMP Legal is urging fleet operators to make sure they are getting the most out of their dashcam and telematics technology, highlighting the importance of reviewing and acting on the data it provides to improve road safety, protect drivers and avoid potential legal issues following a serious collision.
Earlier this month, Charlotte Le Maire, founder and partner at LMP Legal, joined Richard Parker, partnerships manager at UK based fleet technology company Lightfoot, at Fleet & Mobility Live.
Charlotte highlighted the importance of understanding what fleet data reveals about driver behaviour and taking the necessary steps to address any safety concerns it identifies.
Dashcams and telematics have become increasingly common across the UK’s commercial vehicle sector, driven by road safety initiatives such as the government’s Road Safety Strategy and Vision Zero, rising insurance pressures and the need to protect drivers and reduce liability following collisions.
Fleet accreditation schemes, including FORS and CLOCS, and increasing customer requirements are also encouraging operators to invest in additional safety technology, while advances in telematics and AI are providing greater opportunities to monitor driver behaviour and identify risks.
Speaking at the seminar hosted by Lightfoot, Charlotte highlighted a common misconception that simply installing cameras and telematics is enough to protect operators and their drivers.
While the technology is able to provide valuable evidence following a collision and help identify dangerous driving, it all comes down to how operators use the information.
She said, ‘Cameras and telematics fundamentally play a vital role in helping fleet operators improve road safety, protect drivers and ultimately reduce incidents. There is absolutely no question about that. However, in the wrong hands, they can be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
‘While the growing adoption of cameras and telematics across commercial fleets over the past decade is undoubtedly a positive step towards improving road safety, the concern is that some operators believe simply installing the technology is enough, without taking the necessary steps to act on the information it provides.
‘Fitting cameras and telematics to vehicles is only the starting point. Operators need to be reviewing the footage, understanding what the data is telling them and, most importantly, acting on any issues it flags up. For instance, if your systems are repeatedly flagging concerns about driver behaviour and you are doing nothing about them, you are not just putting the driver at risk, you are potentially putting the entire business in the firing line, too.’
Charlotte warned that failing to act on the information captured by these systems could leave operators facing difficult questions during a criminal or regulatory investigation, particularly if the data suggests they were aware of concerns about a driver’s behaviour but failed to address them.
She continued, ‘In the event of a serious collision involving the police, operators need to be aware that investigators may seize the vehicle’s SD card to examine the footage and establish exactly what happened.
‘If that data highlights repeated instances of dangerous driving, fatigue or other safety concerns, operators need to take appropriate steps to address them. If those risks were allowed to persist without action, then the outcomes could differ wildly with operators facing difficult questions about whether they have adequately managed their legal health and safety obligations. In more serious cases, this could lead to enforcement action or prosecution.
‘That is why operators need to take this seriously by actively reviewing the data these systems provide and addressing any issues they identify. Otherwise, rather than helping to protect the business and its drivers, that data could just end up becoming a smoking gun. Which is completely counterintuitive, as this technology is there to exonerate drivers and protect operators from wrongdoing following a collision.
Charlotte added, ‘Without that footage and data, operators could be left without vital evidence to establish what happened or defend themselves following a serious collision. Ultimately, it is not enough to simply invest in the technology and leave it at that. Operators need to make sure they are using it effectively to improve safety and protect their business, so that if the worst happens, they have the evidence they need to support their case.’
Lightfoot’s Richard Parker also added, ‘Charlotte’s point is exactly why we built Lightfoot the way we did.
‘Collecting data is easy; the hard part is turning it into better driving, day in, day out. When drivers get real time feedback in the cab and fleet managers can see clear trends rather than thousands of alerts, operators can show they have identified risks and acted on them, which is precisely the position you want to be in if the worst happens.’