Commercial Drivers Are Safer than Public Perception
Commercial drivers of light- to heavy-duty vehicles are involved in just 3% of severe crashes, even though 83% of American drivers say they are safer behind the wheel, according to new data from Verizon Connect.
Verizon Connect has been offering its Integrated Video bundle so fleets can improve driver safety.
Photo courtesy of Verizon Connect.
2 min to read
Commercial drivers of light- to heavy-duty vehicles are involved in just 3% of severe crashes, even though 83% of American drivers say they are safer behind the wheel, according to new data from Verizon Connect.
An overwhelming majority of drivers say they have witnessed a commercial vehicle driving dangerously, including 81% who said they've witnessed a commercial vehicle being driven dangerously on the road. More than half (54%) of those respondents also said they've also witnessed an accident involving a commercial vehicle.
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More than two in three (69%) people who have witnessed a commercial vehicle driving dangerously have seen a commercial vehicle speeding on the highway. Other dangerous maneuvers include abrupt lane changes (55%), swerving in and out of lanes (46%), running or nearly running off the road (38%), and taking turns or corners too quickly (37%).
Commercial drivers should be monitored while on the road, the majority of respondents said.
Nearly three in four (74%) respondents agreed that commercial vehicle drivers shouldn't be allowed on the road without a dashboard camera or some sort of video monitoring of their driving habits. More than four in 10 (42%) believe installing a dashboard camera is the best way to reduce accidents involving commercial vehicles.
Earlier this year, Verizon Connect began offering its Integrated Video solution as one of several new video telematics offerings this year.
"Machine learning and A.I. are not just for the tech-savvy or tech companies," said Kevin Ares, Verizon Connect's head of global product success. "We are delivering data and actionable metrics that can help better control business outcomes, help mitigate risk, and keep the communities they operate in safer."
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The solution's hardware component is a commercial-grade camera sourced from SmartWitness that feeds 720p HD video to the company's Reveal cloud platform. The camera provides a 150-degree view and can withstand high heat and vibrations. It weighs 180 grams.
The camera uses an LTE CAT4 chipset and can connect over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to send its data. It comes with 32 GB of memory. The event recorder can capture a variety of harsh driving events.
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