Azuga is proud to announce a partnership with SmartWitness, integrating our SafetyCam dashcams with their SmartWitness system. This partnership will allow us to offer robust video monitoring to all fleets, regardless of size or budget.
How Do SmartWitness Cameras Work?
SmartWitness dash cameras are technologically-advanced video transmitting 3G Wi-Fi-enabled cameras designed to provide evidence for what happened before, during, and after a traffic accident. This camera is attached to your vehicle’s windscreen and integrates with your fleet’s telematics data.
The SmartWitness camera works by recording specific information during the time of the incident:
- vehicle location
- audio
- impact force
- speed
- braking
- steering
- acceleration
- driver’s view of the road
Input a Wi-Fi dongle or 3G SIM card into the SmartWitness camera’s USB port, and you can have footage sent directly via email or integrated with a telematics software like Azuga.
A SmartWitness camera records in 720 wide-angle HD, has a microphone, 3-axis g-sensor, two SD card slots, and an integrated GPS receiver. Additionally, there’s an optional second camera connected to the rear, side view, or blindspots of the vehicles for different points of view.
Facilitating a SmartWitness Install
Attach the SmartWitness camera to the windscreen of your vehicle behind the rearview mirror. The camera should be within the windshield wiper zone but as high on the windshield as possible. For fleet trucks, the FMCSA requires that fleets install cameras on the upper 2 inches of the wiper sweep. Ensure the glass is dry and clean before installing to prevent slippage. Hold the camera in place for 30 seconds with firm pressure. Also, install the camera in 50-80 degrees Fahrenheit for the best adherence.
To make the installation process more manageable, there is a SmartWitness Install Wizard included. This Wizard will enable installers to quickly and efficiently equip any vehicle with a SmartWitness camera. This SmartWitness install app is compatible with any device and gives managers live camera images on the Wizard to adjust the camera’s angle or field of view.
Simply add the driver ID and custom vehicle ID to get set up. Then confirm the connectivity and device recording. Securely store the camera with a SmartWitness camera key to protect against potential damages when not in use. The key is also required to access the SIM or SD card to ensure that the information is confidential and stays in the right person’s hands. This means that the data is tamper-proof and can’t be accessed by anyone else. The product box also includes a quick start guide that walks drivers through a step-by-step process of setting the camera up in their vehicle.
Benefits of Using SmartWitness Cameras
Although vehicles have made advancements in safety features such as alarms, seat belts, airbags, lane-keeping, and other roadside assistance technology, there has never been any type of recording feature built into a vehicle.
Video Evidence to Exonerate You from False Claims
Video evidence can protect drivers from specific issues when they are in an accident or other road incident. Video proof can prevent false claims such as staged accidents, insurance fraud, driving offense allegations, false or exaggerated whiplash claims, conflicting reports of actual events, traffic signal violations, swerving or speeding allegations, and more.
Prevent Accidents by Monitoring Driver Fatigue and Distraction
Besides accidents, you can also use a SmartWitness camera to monitor poor driving behavior. These cameras have a dual-lens design with facial detection to look out for fatigue and distraction. This detection feature focuses on the eyes, mouth, and head for any red flags. The camera can spot signs of fatigue like yawning, drowsiness, and micro-sleep. If your drivers are distracted while driving, you’ll be able to see them live or in a recording. The AI can detect behaviors such as texting, drinking, eating, or talking on the phone.
Increase the Visibility of Vehicles at All Times
Without video recording, running your fleet can feel like wearing a blindfold. SmartWitness utilizes Google Maps to locate your fleet vehicles and equipment so you can see where specific vehicles are. With the events dashboard, the software will notify fleet managers of any emergencies, use of panic buttons, and severe shock incidents. The camera syncs with your telematics system to generate reports such as driver graphs of speeding, idle time, braking, and acceleration events. Fleet managers can view the exact routes taken for every journey to ensure drivers follow their designated path. You’ll be able to download videos from any route for the past 30 days.
SmartWitness cameras have dramatically reduced risk by 39%, claim frequency by 27% fewer claims, and average claim cost by 17% over the last year. In the rare event of an incident, fleet managers will receive a high-resolution video and impact data. This will significantly reduce your insurance disputes and premiums. With accidents, adjusters will resolve claims much faster because you have evidence to offer. And you’ll be able to spot any potential theft or crimes related to the vehicle.
Azuga’s SmartWitness Integration
Azuga prioritizes the safety of drivers and empowers drivers to make safe driving decisions. With SmartWitness integration into their Dashcam Solutions, drivers can receive the benefits of video monitoring. Video monitoring by SmartWitness enables fleet managers to take an inside comprehensive look at a driver’s behavior.
As Anath Rani, the co-founder of Azuga, put it, “we’ve made it financially feasible for every fleet manager to have a visual snapshot of their driver’s behaviors when driving incidents to occur.” This works because the Azuga Dashcam immediately starts recording an incident when sudden acceleration, hard cornering, or hard braking occurs. This camera records 10 seconds of video before and after an event and transmits the recording to be stored securely in the cloud. The stored report includes crucial information such as date, specific time, speed details, and location. AI examines the videos and assesses a video risk score to assist fleet managers in determining who is at fault.
With Azuga Dashcam, you receive the benefits of having the driver’s view of the road, reduced insurance premium, faster insurance claims, in-car camera for incidents-based coaching, tamper-proof camera, convenient accessibility, including sharing, and sending videos through the cloud.
