Verizon Connect is unveiling its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Dashcam, which the company says is capable of real-time detection of potentially dangerous driving events. Available for new and existing Fleet and Reveal customers, integrated video is available for use with two new camera models, including a road-facing only camera–which can be upgraded with a driver-facing camera add-on–and a dual-facing camera.

“The new AI Dashcam includes advanced features that are designed to boost safety and provide greater insight for fleet managers,” said Erin Cave, Verizon Connect director of product management. “The new technology provides a significant step to help our customers future-proof their fleets.”

Lisa Donnelly, Verizon Connect product manager, said the camera’s Edge computing chip helps power the camera’s AI capabilities. Installing the camera also does not require the installation of additional sensors around the truck, Donnelly says.

“The camera is very good at detecting very specific events, like when a driver has their phone up to their face,” she says. “We’re always feeding it more video to help eliminate false readings.”

Verizon Connect’s AI dashcam provides audible alerts to drivers when it detects unsafe driving, including signs of tiredness, distraction and phone usage and then tells drivers to take corrective action, the company says. Cloud-based AI distills data into useful insights and video footage is automatically analyzed for severity and tagged with context so that managers know what is important and actionable to improve driver safety. Customers can automatically send video footage of the incidents to the platform so that it can be reviewed by the appropriate people and managers. In the case of a driver recklessly driving, the manager can use the footage to coach and discuss safety habits.

The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) helps to monitor tailgating, pedestrians and cyclists, while the Driver-Monitoring System (DMS) tracks distracted driving, phone usage, fatigue and more, Verizon Connect says. The company says features of the recently launched single and dual-camera model hardware include:

• Modular design: Easy to upgrade from single road-facing camera to dual camera functions with the driver-facing add-on.
• Smaller and sleeker: Single device for both road- and driver-facing footage and easy to self-install with fewer cables or wires.
• Future-proof: The hardware will enable valuable enhancements in the near future.
• Privacy-by-design: The new hardware comes with lens caps for privacy when video recordings are unwanted or not needed.
• In-cab audio alerts: Drivers will be alerted of unsafe driving events in real-time.