LiveWest, a housing association with more than 38,000 properties across the south west of England, is adopting a video telematic solution from VisionTrack across its fleet of 380 vans. The company will implement a phased roll-out of the VT2000 connected dashcam following a successful trial involving 40 vehicles, which demonstrated clear enhancements in insurance claims management and driver behaviour. As a result, LiveWest aims to have almost 50% of its fleet fitted with a vehicle camera by the end of 2021.

“We wanted to explore the benefits of using connected vehicle cameras alongside our existing tracking solution provided by Webfleet,” explains Paul Ayris, Fleet Manager at LiveWest. “The video footage from the VisionTrack solution is providing the added context needed to quickly prove liability; challenge fraudulent, exaggerated and 50/50 claims; and better engage with our drivers. Moving forward, we expect this to help reduce insurance costs, while improving road safety in the communities we work in.”

The VT2000 dashcams have already had a positive impact on LiveWest’s loss ratio and provided irrefutable evidence following road traffic collisions. Following one serious incident, the company was able to quickly prove its driver was not at fault, which would have previously resulted in a costly 50/50 claim. It is also supporting LiveWest’s accident management process, which was remodelled in 2019 to change the way the company investigated and handled driving incidents. With the help of the fleet dashcams, LiveWest is aiming to double the annual rebate it receives from its insurance partner.

Following the initial trial, it was clear that the fitted dashcams had a positive impact on driver behaviour at LiveWest. However, the benefits of the technology have gone far beyond simply influencing the mindset of drivers by enabling the company to effectively engage with mobile staff as well as gain a greater understanding of the risk they face out on the roads.

“Our safety culture is all about continuous improvement, so the VisionTrack solution is already playing a crucial role in helping us to reduce fleet risk and share best practice. Backed with high quality video footage, it has been far easier for us to provide guidance to drivers on areas of improvement and for them to take feedback onboard. This means we can quickly nip any issue in the bud before it poses a threat to driver welfare, other road users and the reputation of the business,” concludes Ayris.

Jason Craven, Head of Channel at VisionTrack commented: “We are helping fleet organisations to operate in a safe, efficient and socially responsible way. By combining our extensive range of proven connected technology with exceptional levels of service and support, we can create video telematics solutions that deliver significant benefits and cost reductions.”