Car Cameras Put the Brakes on Careless Driving, Proving Taxpayer Benefit

From the Orange County Newsroom

Orange County has invested in DriveCams, and the payoff has been beneficial to both taxpayers and helping improve safety.

What are DriveCams?

Devices mounted near the rearview mirrors of vehicles, DriveCams save audio and video recordings (outside and inside) only if a vehicle brakes hard, swerves or has a collision. The unit saves 8 seconds of data before and 4 seconds after an event.

How does Orange County use DriveCams?

Orange County Government began using DriveCams in 2007. Since that time, they have been installed on nearly half of the County’s 2,200 fleet vehicles. The devices are used on Orange County vehicles that travel frequently in the field, including code enforcement, animal services, and fire rescue services.

How do DriveCams helps Orange County employees who drive?

DriveCams are used to change driving behaviors and improve accident accountability. When safety violations are found by Orange County, employees are coached appropriately and held accountable. They also allow management to better monitor Orange County Government drivers, keeping employees and other motorists safe.

What is the taxpayer payoff?

DriveCams paid for themselves in about two years. They have been instrumental in determining what causes crashes – saving Orange County litigation and insurance claims. Orange County invested $2.2 million in the DriveCams and the estimated annual savings is about a half million dollars. There’s also a $1.3 million in hard savings from a reduction in auto accidents in the past three years.

What’s the safety payoff?

Prior to installing the DriveCams, there were 363 accidents in the 2006-2007 fiscal year. Orange County employee driver accidents averaged 200 per year in 2008 and in the fiscal year 2017-2018 the average fell to just under 100 accidents.

More than 3,000 fleets worldwide have installed DriveCams.

Photo Caption: DriveCams save Orange County Government more than a half-million dollars per year.