Broker Gives A Boost To DriveCam System.

By Daniel Hays

NU Online News Service, Jan. 15, 12:30 p.m. EST?A brokerage executive said today that his firm has approached several insurers about providing discounts to commercial limousine fleets that have a new video camera system installed in vehicles.

"We've gone to carriers and shown them data that this is something viable for a large fleet," said Bill Lindsay, a vice president with the Hilb Rogal & Hamilton Company's New York office.

Mr. Lindsay said the package offered by DriveCam Video Systems, of San Diego, Calif. had been tested for 12 months with one of the insureds covered under Hilb Rogal's limousine insurance program.

The client, Tran-Star Executive Transportation Services of Dear Park, N.Y., which tested the system with 70 vehicles, "had a drop in losses of 35 percent and a decrease in his maintenance costs," Mr. Lindsay noted.

As a result, he said, Hilb Rogal had approached The Hartford, Westport and Lancer insurance companies, which underwrite the limousine program, "about giving a discount to insureds who have this product in their car."

He said the insurers were looking at the system as a loss control tool, but in the current market climate with hard prices and reinsurance problems none had acted so far.

DriveCam is a palm-sized, wide-angle, digital video recorder that is mounted behind a vehicle's rearview mirror. Set off by G-forces, it records everything a driver sees and hears in the 20 seconds before, during and after it is triggered. The company said it records activities such as hard braking, acceleration, harsh cornering or collisions.

The company said its Driving Feedback System is used by commercial fleets to monitor, track and improve driving performance. DriveCam's digital recording allows fleet managers to view an event on a TV screen, camcorder or personal computer.

The company said that at Tran-Star, the system lowered physical damage from collisions by 35 percent and cut fuel costs by 20 percent, transmission repairs by 50 percent and brake repairs by 25 percent. The company has also used DriveCam event recordings as evidence in accident disputes to prove its drivers were not at fault.

DriveCam said Riches & Roses of Charlotte, North Carolina, another fleet in the program had installed DriveCam in 53 vehicles and reduced insurance claims 99 percent--dropping them from $60,000 to $400, as well as using DriveCam recordings to expose fraudulent claims in which its drivers were victims of staged accidents.

"In addition to promoting driving safety, DriveCam provides security and accountability for the driver," said Ed Andrew, president of DriveCam Video Systems.

The complete Driving Feedback System includes a manager's guide, driver guide, videotape and Event Manager software for logging and tracking vehicle events.

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Broker Gives A Boost To DriveCam System.

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