A pioneering fleet manager has seen a 36% reduction in accident frequency after fitting in-vehicle cameras to his van fleet.

Dermot Coughlan, operations director at Kelly Communications, says he has seen ‘substantial savings’ since he began using the SmartDrive system two years ago.

“We have seen our accident costs halved at one of our sites,” he says.

The camera unit is fitted behind the rear-view mirror and is triggered by sudden G-forces, such as harsh braking, swerving or a collision.

The incidents are then reviewed and rated by severity, allowing Coughlan to identify which drivers need training.

“We’ve had mixed feelings from our drivers, but once they see the benefits they come round to the idea,” says Coughlan.

“A driver might start with 20 or 30 incidents a week but within a short time reduce that to two or three.

"Once they reach a certain standard that our driver trainers are happy with we take the cameras out, so the drivers are not stuck with them forever.”

Scott Raske, managing director of SmartDrive in the UK, says: “The system is not designed to be a tool to sack drivers. It’s designed to develop safer driving styles.“

Raske also points out that unlike CCTV the cameras do not film continuously, they only film for 30 seconds when triggered.

Drivers are often ‘won over’ by the fact footage can be used to show they are not at fault in an incident.

Fleets of less than 500 vehicles will have to pay for the system upfront.

They can expect to pay £350 per camera, a £60 installation fee per vehicle and a £28 monthly subscription to access the web application.

Raske says that a 50 vehicle fleet can expect the system to pay for itself within a year.