Fleets operating medium- and heavy-duty trucks could significantly reduce fatalities, collisions, and injuries involving their drivers by using an in-vehicle video system such as DriveCam, according to a new report.

The report by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) found that equipping Class 3 and above vehicles with DriveCam could lead to a 20 percent reduction in annual fatalities, a 35 percent drop in collisions, and a 36 percent decline in injuries. The study, which also included bus collisions, was commissioned by Lytx.

"If driver behavior is the primary reason for traffic crashes, then approaches that pinpoint and focus on reducing risky driving behavior are likely to be the most effective in reducing crashes," said Jeffrey Hickman, the study's author.

"Many drivers choose to behave in ways that put themselves and others at risk," said Hickman, the group leader for the Behavioral Analysis and Applications Group at the institute's Center for Truck and Bus Safety. "The most efficacious onboard safety monitoring systems use in-vehicle video technology to gather driving behaviors that can be addressed and corrected, thereby reducing future crash risk."

For the study, Hickman reviewed data reported from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds, including Class 3 trucks and above, were included.

The study evaluated the potential safety benefits of equipping U.S. trucks and buses with Lytx's DriveCam system by using a large national crash database called the General Estimates System (GES). The GES database included information about the vehicle, injuries and fatalities, violations, and contributing factors for a sample of crashes during calendar years 2010 to 2012.

Request a copy of the full study here.