If you’ve ever spent a significant amount of time flicking through Youtube videos, chances are you’ve come across the ones featuring Russian dashboard cameras. These are videos that have been made by cameras mounted in Russian cars, for the sole prevention of fraudulent insurance claims. It’s so rampant over there that people are throwing themselves in front of cars, pulling in front of trucks and then braking or trying to deliberately insight road rage, merely so that they can get a payout. Unfortunately, it seems like these practices happen elsewhere in the world too, but Intelligence Telematics is looking to stop it in its tracks, with a new 3G vehicle camera.
Called the IT 1000, the camera is part of a new wave of hardware that is designed to cut back on insurance claims and to help improve the safety of drivers. In the event of an accident, with a camera in place, two things can occur: firstly, it’s much easier to determine who was at fault, which in turn cuts back on insurance payouts and fraudulent claims. This, combined with telematics and information from the vehicle’s diagnostics paints a very detailed picture of the incident, letting the insurers and potentially the courts see it in as much detail as possible.
On top of that though, the camera can increase the safety of the driver in a variety of ways: if there’s an accident like the above scenario and it turns out to be the driver’s fault, the footage can be analysed to see if any future training might benefit and, if it’s prominent enough, it could deter any crimes being committed against the driver.
What makes the IT 1000 different however from your usual dashboard security cameras, is that it’s wirelessly connected to the telematics firm. This means that in the event of an accident, the footage can be immediately analysed and alerts sent out to the driver’s company and potentially emergency services should they be required. Theoretically, if (and more likely when) an insurance company teams up with Intelligence Telematics, the footage can be sent immediately to their servers too.
The camera isn’t just your average HD feed however, as it also bundles a bunch of telematics hardware to save cost on future installations. Along with the video recorder, it also detects your position by GPS 10 times a second, giving increased accuracy at higher speeds and includes a three axis G Force sensor that gives reliable information on impact speeds, which when combined with other telematics data can even give information on the other vehicle in the case of a two car accident.
Mark Stamper, Managing Director at Intelligent Telematics (IRE) commented: “Our latest 3G camera will not only reduce the severity and frequency of vehicle fleet insurance claims by enabling operators to respond quickly and effectively to accidents, but also help modify driving styles and minimise potential risk. We believe there is significant growth opportunities within Ireland amongst businesses looking to protect against crash for cash fraud, bogus whiplash claims and avoidable insurance costs, while enhancing their duty of care strategy.”
