A Q&A with Santa, and Fleet Manager Mrs Claus, of North Pole Inc
We’ve all seen the shocking footage of vehicles behaving recklessly before causing thousands of pounds of damage (or worse) on Britain’s motorways.
Sometimes, it’s fleet vehicles capturing this footage, and it normally highlights the carelessness of some road users or the sinister motives of organised crime.
Many organisations are now acutely aware of the increasing ability to resolve troublesome insurance claims by utilising captured footage.
However, it’s important to note that simply establishing camera technology within a fleet isn’t enough to see premiums reduced. The reality is that costs will decrease overtime after the installation of cameras because, as the study referenced below suggests, vehicles are driven with more consideration by staff, therefore leading to less accidents.
Fleet World is reporting that camera technology - provided by SmartWitness - has slashed the number of disputed claims in a pilot scheme involving 3,000 UK vehicles from February to July.
Some of the companies who took part in the trial have reported a whopping 40% reduction in the number of insurance claims, whilst others are recording noteworthy enhancements in driver behaviour.
Commenting on the pilot, SmartWitness CEO Paul Singh told Fleet World about the appeal cameras have for insurance providers:
“We were the first company to provide a FNOL (First Notice of Loss) video solution for van fleets and our pilot scheme has been a huge success.
“With our system, insurers can literally have incident data within seconds. Our KP1 camera provides the highest quality footage and data which gives them all the proof they need to fight any claims.”
Singh also highlighted how the FNOL solution was used when combating fraud.
“The FNOL video footage provides irrefutable witness evidence to help ensure claims are settled on a fair basis and root out fraud. The removal of any uncertainty allows insurers to combat any avoid fraudulent claims. All parties – including the police if necessary – can be alerted immediately to a fraudulent claim.
“The simplest way to weed out fraudulent claims is to stop them at source – by showing fraud has been caught on camera and any fraudulent claim is likely to result in police action.”