How to strengthen fleet safety with AI video telematics
Fleet safety is no longer just about understanding what happened after an accident. It’s about identifying risk earlier and using the right information to help prevent incidents before they occur.
That starts with understanding where risk already exists. Historical claims and fleet safety data can help establish a baseline, while telematics can surface driver behaviors such as speeding and harsh braking. AI video telematics adds context by helping fleets understand what is happening around an event and prioritize the moments that may need attention.
This guide explains how these insights can help fleets connect their safety policies to what’s actually happening on the road, establish meaningful safety KPIs and evaluate how their fleet safety program is performing over time.
1. Establishing a fleet safety baseline
Before deciding where to focus a fleet safety program, managers need to understand where safety issues are already occurring.
Looking at both historical records and current telematics data can establish a benchmark for fleet safety performance and highlight areas that may need improvement.
Start with a historical risk audit
Look back at the previous 12–24 months to understand where incidents and costs have been concentrated. Depending on the fleet, that historical risk audit may include:
- Accident and collision history
- Insurance claims and costs
- Types and severity of incidents
- Recurring contributing factors
- The CSA safety score generated from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Rather than reviewing incidents individually, look for recurring themes. Are certain types of accidents happening more frequently? Are claims costs increasing? Are particular locations, vehicles or behaviors showing up repeatedly?
These findings can help fleets prioritize the safety issues to address and provide a benchmark for measuring improvement.
Add current driver behavior to the baseline
Historical records show where the fleet has been. Telematics can provide a more current view of driver behavior that may contribute to safety incidents.
A driver behavior monitoring system can track measures such as:
- Speeding
- Harsh braking
- Rapid acceleration
- Aggressive cornering
Tracking these measures across drivers and routes can help managers identify where additional attention may be warranted.
2. Connecting fleet safety policies to measurable behaviors
A fleet safety policy sets expectations for drivers. Fleet data can help managers understand how those expectations are playing out on the road.
The first step is connecting the behaviors addressed in the policy with information the fleet can actually measure.
Translate expectations into measurable signals
Not every safety expectation can, or should, be reduced to a number. But many common driver behaviors can be tracked through telematics and AI video telematics.
For example, a policy that asks drivers to maintain a safe following distance can be connected to data on following distance and tailgating events. That gives managers a measurable signal they can monitor over time.
Connecting policies with measurable signals gives managers a clearer way to see whether expectations are being followed—and where further action may be needed.
Be clear about how the data is used
When telematics, dashcams or other fleet safety technology are used to monitor behavior, drivers should understand what information is collected and how it relates to the fleet’s safety expectations.
Find strategies to build driver trust and turn safety data into productive conversations.
3. Adding context with AI video telematics
Telematics data can flag a safety event. AI video telematics adds visual context to help managers understand what happened, assess the level of risk and decide what deserves attention.
By combining dashcam video with telematics data such as GPS location, speed and acceleration, fleets can get a more complete picture of safety events.
Identify risky driving behaviors in real time
AI dashcams can use artificial intelligence to detect behaviors that may increase the risk of an incident, including:
- Distracted driving
- Tailgating
- Drowsy driving
- Phone use
- Traffic light violations
When a risky behavior is detected, real-time in-cab alerts can notify drivers in the moment, giving them an opportunity to correct the behavior.
Add context to telematics events
Two similar telematics events can have very different causes. Video helps managers see what was happening on the road so they can better understand the circumstances surrounding an event.
| Telematics can tell you | Video can help explain |
| A driver braked harshly | Did the driver react to a sudden hazard? |
| A vehicle was speeding | What was happening on the road at the time? |
| A collision occurred | What happened before, during and after the incident? |
That additional context can help managers distinguish between behaviors that warrant attention and appropriate driver responses to road conditions.
Focus attention on the events that matter
AI video telematics can identify and categorize relevant driving events, helping managers prioritize higher-risk moments instead of manually reviewing hours of footage.
Discover how AI-powered video telematics help fleets improve driver safety, reduce accident-related costs, and boost operational efficiency.
4. Measuring risk with safety KPIs and driver scorecards
Once fleet safety data is being collected, the next step is deciding which measures provide the clearest picture of performance.
Rather than tracking every available data point, focus on a consistent set of safety KPIs tied to the behaviors and priorities established earlier in the program.
Choose KPIs that reflect your safety priorities
The right fleet safety metrics will depend on the operation, but common measures may include:
| Safety KPI | What it can show |
| Speeding events | How often and how severely drivers exceed posted speed limits |
| Harsh braking | Frequency of sudden braking events that may warrant further review |
| Aggressive acceleration and cornering | Patterns of potentially aggressive driving |
| Seatbelt use | Whether drivers are following seatbelt expectations |
| Distracted driving events | Frequency of detected distraction, including phone use |
| Following distance | Patterns of unsafe following or tailgating |
The goal isn’t simply to drive every event count to zero. Instead, these metrics can help fleets establish benchmarks and track whether safety performance is changing over time.
Use driver scorecards to bring the data together
A driver safety scorecard can combine multiple safety measures into a more consistent view of performance across drivers or groups.
Instead of reviewing speeding, harsh braking, distracted driving and other events separately, managers can use scorecards to see where patterns are emerging and compare performance over time. A video driver safety score can add another layer of insight, using video telematics data to help identify risky driving behaviors and opportunities for coaching.
Scorecards can also give leadership a common set of measures for evaluating the broader fleet safety program, rather than relying only on individual incidents or anecdotal feedback.
5. Protecting drivers and the business
Even with a strong fleet safety program, accidents can still happen. When they do, having objective information about what occurred can help fleets respond to claims, support drivers and better understand the financial impact of an incident.
With the average large-truck crash costing about $49,000, and that number jumping to $326,000 if there's an injury, reliable evidence can be especially valuable when accounts conflict or liability is disputed.
Use video to establish what happened
When accounts of an accident conflict, dashcam footage can provide objective evidence of what happened before, during and after the incident.
That evidence can help fleets respond to false claims and support a driver's version of events when the footage shows they were not at fault.
For B.A.M. Trucking, video evidence helped protect drivers against false accusations while also contributing to broader insurance benefits.
"It opened up more of a marketplace and a reduction on our annual insurance premium by $200,000." — Brad Medford, Owner, B.A.M. Trucking”
Video shouldn't only be useful after a claim is filed. Reviewing the circumstances surrounding accidents and near misses can also help managers see whether the same types of risk are appearing repeatedly.
6. Using data to improve your fleet safety program
A fleet safety program shouldn't stay static. Regular reviews of safety KPIs, policies and technology settings can help managers see what's improving, where risk remains and what may need to change.
Review performance on a regular cadence
Rather than waiting for an accident or another major event to trigger a review, establish a regular cadence for evaluating safety KPIs and broader program performance.
Ask questions such as:
- Are the highest-priority risky driving behaviors becoming less frequent?
- Are new patterns beginning to emerge?
- Are certain policies consistently difficult to follow?
- Are in-cab alerts identifying the right behaviors?
- Are current driver scorecard measures still aligned with safety priorities?
Adjust the program as risks change
What the data shows can inform where the fleet safety program goes next. That might mean revisiting a policy, adjusting alert thresholds or putting more attention on an emerging safety issue.
It can also help managers distinguish between a program-wide issue and one better addressed with an individual driver.
Close the loop with driver coaching
Technology can identify risk and provide context, but changing behavior often requires a conversation. When telematics or AI video telematics identifies a recurring issue, managers can use that information to make coaching more specific and objective.
7. Build a safer fleet with better information
A stronger fleet safety program starts with understanding where risk exists—and having the information to respond.
By combining telematics, AI video telematics and consistent safety KPIs, fleet managers can move from reacting to individual incidents to protecting their drivers and organizations from the start.
Discover how fleets can leverage AI-powered cameras and video analytics to improve driver behavior and minimize driving risks.
Reach out to your Verizon Connect representative or request a custom demo below to explore ways to better understand safety events, protect drivers and manage risk across your fleet.