Van insurance news roundup: 7 days ending 15 Nov 2013:
This week van insurance experts have pointed out how important it is to keep your commercial fleets safe; to do that, you may need to keep your drivers in line.
No one likes the idea of their bosses spying on them all the time, but sometimes it’s for the best. Or at least that’s what commercial van insurance experts are saying this week, as they pointed out that any firm that neglects to keep a close eye on the behaviour of their drivers is going to end up in hot water sometime down the road.
Industry experts predict that telematics-based car insurance technology and dashboard-mounted camera systems are gaining so much traction that it’s going to be a foregone conclusion soon that you’re being deliberately ignorant by not fitting your fleet vehicles with the technology.
Honestly I can see what they’re getting at – the last thing a delivery company needs is to have to fend off lawsuits where there’s physical evidence of negligence on the part of their drivers. It does seem like a bit of an invasion of privacy, but at the same time if you don’t like working for that firm I suppose you can jog on and find a different job elsewhere, eh?
Of course there’s more than just the prevention of legal bills that experts say telematics surveillance systems can accomplish. In fact, one chauffeur company’s 460-vehicle fleet that’s been fitted with dash cams, is set to save as much as £60,000 in just 12 short months following the installation.
The new initiative was started this past May, according to its fleet manager, and the man has already seen some market improvements to things like their liability in the case of fraudulent road traffic accident claims brought against them.
For what it’s worth, £60,000 in savings is no small bit of change. I know that I may not be making any friends within the white van man community for saying this, but it could be worth the inconvenience and violation of privacy to fit as many vehicles as possible with dash cams if it means we can help to stamp out car insurance fraud. It’s a major problem, but it could virtually disappear overnight – and you’ll be singing its praises when it gets you out of a costly accident that could see your insurance rates go up!