SAN DIEGO -- SmartDrive Systems, the market leader in driving intelligence solutions that reduce collisions and improve fuel efficiency, announced that the company has been awarded US Patent #8239092 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent recognizes the company’s innovative event recorders and portable memory system.

Based on real-time driving observations and measurements gathered by the SmartDrive in-vehicle event recorder, the company delivers driving intelligence that gives fleet managers unprecedented visibility into how a vehicle is being driven. The advanced onboard event recorder uses video capture, data from the vehicle’s engine control unit and input from motion sensors to detect and observe risky driving behavior such as sudden stops, hard cornering, aggressive acceleration, and excessive speed. This comprehensive video and vehicle event information provides a meaningful view into driving performance for fleet managers, enabling them to make insightful decisions that result in significant safety and financial savings.

The newly awarded patent protects a process which enables safe and reliable data transfer between a vehicle and SmartDrive’s online fleet performance services. This data is critical to SmartDrive’s unique ability to observe and analyze driving performance on more dimensions than any other provider, collect and analyze more events, and provide simple, actionable recommendations to help drivers and fleet managers improve safety and save fuel.

“Managing driver safety and optimizing fuel efficiency are among the biggest challenges facing fleet operators today,” noted Steve Mitgang, chief executive officer of SmartDrive. “SmartDrive is pioneering new technology around driving performance analytics to overcome these challenges; we are creating fundamental innovations in vehicle safety and fuel efficiency that are saving fleets thousands of dollars per vehicle each year, while protecting their drivers and the motoring public.”

For more information, visit www.smartdrive.net.

About SmartDrive Systems

SmartDrive delivers innovative solutions that make it easy to improve driver safety and reduce operating cost. SmartDrive records comprehensive video-based data from the road, then thoroughly reviews and scores critical events for fleet managers to quickly respond and deliver sustainable savings -- all through an easy-to-use managed service. 

The company has compiled the world's largest storehouse -- more than 44 million events -- of real-time, risky-driving incidents. SmartDrive Systems is based in San Diego, CA, and employs over 375 people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.smartdrive.net.