Collision avoidance vs crash detection: How to have both in your fleet business

Your fleet business can avoid collisions and get crash detection by investing in sensors. These sensors can detect impact, working well with dashcams that have artificial intelligence technology and can warn drivers BEFORE the impact takes place. This way, you’ll get all-round protection for your drivers.

One helps prevent your drivers from causing accidents, and if the accidents do happen, the other will ensure they get immediate assistance.

If you’re wondering which of the two (between crash detection technology and collision avoidance technology) you need for your business, then the straight answer is, BOTH. Today, we’re breaking down the importance of both technologies so you can make a more informed decision.

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What is a collision avoidance system?

A collision avoidance system is a safety process that helps drivers avoid accidents. The system consists of various technologies such as

• Cameras

• GPS

• G-force sensors

• Artificial intelligence

• Radar

These technologies work together to monitor what’s happening in and around the vehicle. If they pick up a dangerous situation, they alert drivers through a light or sound.

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The key features of a collision avoidance system

Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

This is an accident prevention system that scans the road ahead and warns drivers of potential hazards. It uses cameras, radar, and other sensors. The sensors are usually located in front of the vehicle to be able to detect how far it is from a vehicle or object that’s ahead. It also measures the speed at which the vehicle is moving. Some FCW systems can only detect other moving vehicles, while others can detect both moving and stationary vehicles.

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Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

A Lane Departure Warning system monitors road markings and the vehicle’s position within the lane. This is done through camera technology and artificial intelligence (AI). If the system detects that the driver has or will unintentionally stray out of the lane, it’ll give a warning. It’s a system that’s very useful to drivers who spend long hours on the highway.

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Blind-Spot Monitoring (BSM)

Blind-Spot Monitoring refers to using radar sensors and cameras to scan the areas alongside and behind the vehicle. This is done to catch the vehicles your drivers can’t see when changing lanes. If drivers activate the indicator to change lanes, they’ll get alerts if it’s unsafe to do so.

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Pedestrian detection

As the name suggests, this is a system that uses sensors and cameras to monitor things happening on the road. If the system picks up pedestrians near the vehicle, it’ll send out an alert. Some systems can also spot the presence of cyclists.

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The noticeable positive outcomes of a collision avoidance system

The first thing you’ll notice is a reduction in the frequency of accidents. This will have a ripple effect on the amount of money your business will save. Fewer accidents mean less money being spent on unexpected repairs. It also means fewer insurance claims, which improves your fleet’s insurance risk profile and, therefore, results in lower premiums in the long run.

Furthermore, the system provides detailed data on driver performance. This allows you, as the fleet manager, to see common driver mistakes and address these issues. It also encourages driver accountability.

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What is a crash detection system?

A crash detection system is a technology that automatically detects severe vehicle impact and alerts emergency services. The system consists of three core components, mainly:

• Sensors, such as an accelerometer, to detect impact.

• A processing unit: to interpret sensor data.

• Communication modules, such as GPS and GSM, are used to send alerts and location information.

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The key features of a crash detection system

Impact sensing

Gravitational force (G-force) sensors measure acceleration. During normal vehicle movement, the sensors are relatively constant, but once there’s a sudden shift, like a forceful impact or a hard stop, it may imply a potential collision. Data from the accelerometer is crucial for identifying an accident.

Another sensor that plays a key role in impact detection is a gyroscope. It tracks the vehicle’s position and direction and constantly monitors tilt and rotation. This means it can detect if a vehicle has rolled over, flipped, or is at an unusual angle after impact. The gyroscope sensor helps the system differentiate between a normal turn and one where the vehicle is losing stability. Some systems also have pressure sensors, which help detect impact from the sides.

Independent logging

Once the accident is detected by the sensors, it sends an immediate alert to your system service provider using communication modules such as cellular networks. Once they receive the alert, they’ll call to check and then send immediate help to the accident scene.

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Real-time GPS tracking

GPS tracking technology is crucial to the crash detection system being effective. It helps pinpoint exactly where the accident has occurred, even in remote areas. This helps emergency services get to the scene faster, which can potentially save lives in cases of severe incidents. In addition, it helps ensure that insurers have access to accurate information about the incident.

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The difference a crash detection system makes

Imagine if one of your drivers who travels across the country gets into an accident in the middle of nowhere. If they’re able to call for help, they might not be able to quickly describe their location, as they’re likely in shock and in a place with few identifiable landmarks. This makes it difficult for emergency services to pinpoint their location, delaying the assistance the driver so desperately needs.

A crash detection system ensures that your drivers get help as soon as possible, saving time and possibly minimising damage and injuries.

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Collision avoidance vs crash detection | key differences

The key differences between collision avoidance and crash detection lie in their purpose, timing, and the technologies used. One is for increasing driver awareness to prevent accidents, and the other is for a faster response time if there’s ever an accident.

Here’s a side-by-side table comparison of the two:

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What are the pitfalls of having only one system?

The pitfalls of having only one system instead of both at the same time are that you’ll lose the opportunity to prevent accidents or miss the chance to get your drivers quick assistance. Both systems provide the data that you need for fleet safety; one system alone isn’t efficient. As a fleet manager, you need to apply proactive and reactive measures to give your vehicles and drivers all-around protection.

Here’s why you need a dual-layer defence strategy for accidents:

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The “missed data” problem

A collision avoidance system mainly focuses on preventing accidents. However, the driver might not always react in time, which will result in an accident, and your drivers will need quick assistance to possibly reduce the damage. Some collision avoidance systems may record telematics data, which gives you the sequence of events leading to the incident. However, they may not capture the full context, such as the severity of the impact.

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The “too late” problem

Crash detection, on the other hand, only activates after an incident. By then, the costs and downtime have already set in. While fast emergency response is important, it doesn’t prevent the damage and financial loss that come with frequent accidents.

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How to implement both crash detection and collision avoidance systems in your fleet

You can implement both crash detection and collision avoidance systems into your fleet by firstly investing in a fleet management service that offers both technologies on one platform. From there, you must ensure all staff members understand how they work. Lastly, you also need to perform regular reviews to monitor the progress.

Let’s break it down into three simple steps:

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Step 1: Choose a single system that handles both collision avoidance and crash detection

With a fleet management service that has both systems, you’ll save time because you won’t have to look for accident-related information on different software platforms. It also saves you the cost of paying for the systems separately. Should you encounter any issues, you’ll have only one service provider to contact, and they can troubleshoot both systems to ensure they work well together.

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Step 2: Train drivers and fleet managers

You must educate your drivers and other relevant staff members on how each system works. Your drivers must know about the type of alerts they’ll receive, and they must understand what the alerts mean. By educating your drivers, you ensure that they understand the impact of accidents from a business perspective. This will encourage better driving habits, improving your overall safety in the long run.

In addition, your managers must know how to access data and accurately interpret it. This will ensure accurate use of both systems, therefore improving the overall safety of your fleet and drivers.

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Step 3: Monitor, review, and optimise

It’s also important that you regularly review incident reports. This way, you’ll know what risky driver behaviours are common, so you can address them. Based on the reports, you can set up group training programmes for common behaviours or individual sessions for each driver. Regularly checking this data ensures the effectiveness of these systems and that your business gets the full value of the integrated system.

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Protect your fleet and maximise ROI with Cartrack’s ultimate system for protection against accidents

Cartrack is one of the leading providers of vehicle safety systems. We offer a variety of safety features such as telematics, AI cameras, crash detection, and driver coaching. Through this, you’ll get an all-round comprehensive solution to reduce accident rates and costs, all on one platform.

Have a look at our three top features for crash detection and collision avoidance:

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Crash Detection

Our crash detection system automatically detects when one of your fleet vehicles is involved in an accident. It instantly sends an alert to our control room service, and from there, we’ll notify you. Our crash detection service works hand in hand with our GPS trackers, as they’ll provide location data that’ll make it easier for the emergency services to know where to go.

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AI dashcam

The AI dashcam camera solution can help drivers avoid accidents by monitoring blind spots, lane changes, pedestrians, and possible forward collisions. Once detected, the system then warns drivers in the form of real-time audible alerts so they can quickly respond to the situation. You’ll receive reports of these incidents, so you’re made aware and can address your concerns.

Our AI cameras take driver safety a step further by detecting driver distractions such as cellphone use, smoking, and drowsiness. They also give out real-time audible alerts for such behaviours so drivers can focus on the road ahead.

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Coaching

The Cartrack Coaching platform helps you input data to provide targeted feedback. It collects driver incidents from the AI camera, then puts them on one platform. With this, you can identify trends within your teams and the number of repeated offences of a specific behaviour from each individual. From there, drivers will be sent for coaching based on their specific problem areas, and all discussions from the coaching session can be recorded on the platform.

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Cartrack’s integrated collision avoidance and crash detection system can keep drivers safe and operations efficient

Using both our collision avoidance and crash detection systems gives fleets the best chance to prevent accidents and respond quickly if they occur. Reach out to us and safeguard your fleet with our multi-layered safety solution.

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Frequently Asked Questions about collision avoidance and crash detection

Is collision avoidance worth it?

Yes, collision avoidance is worth it because it reduces the frequency of accidents in your fleet. It enhances driver awareness by giving them instant alerts of safety hazards. This technology helps save lives and the costs your vehicle could incur from insurance and repair fees.

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What is the 3-step crash prevention formula?

The 3-step crash prevention formula is Recognise, Understand, and Act. ‘Recognise’ simply means you need to be aware of your surroundings to identify potential risks. ‘Understand’ means you must be prepared and know what to do to defend yourself, e.g. maintaining a safe following distance. ‘Act’ means you must decide on time to avoid the collision.