BP Mitchell reduce insurance costs with Durite camera kits
Aggregates firm upgrades vehicle fleet camera system to protect employees from ‘crash for cash’ insurance scams
BP Mitchell Contractors Ltd, a leading provider of aggregates for the construction sector, have reduced their insurance premiums and successfully eliminated ‘crash for cash’ claims after upgrading vehicle camera systems across their fleet.
The Hatfield-based company – which has achieved FORS Silver accreditation for driver and vehicle safety – operates more than 60 trucks, predominantly tippers as well as 10 mixers and five articulated vehicles.
BP Mitchell upgraded their vehicle fleet camera systems from a six-channel to an eight-channel DVR system from Durite, which included switching from smaller in-cab monitors to larger 9in monitors and fitting side-detection kits. The company also installed driver-facing cameras as an additional measure to protect employees from false accusations.
Mick Howe, transport director for BP Mitchell, said: ‘Operating in London we have to comply with the Direct Vision Standard, so cameras are a must-have for us. However, we wanted a system that worked well for our drivers and enhanced safety as much as possible. The in-cab cameras are not a spying tool – they are for driver protection. We use them to prove the driver was operating the vehicle correctly.’
A key benefit to upgrading the camera systems has been a reduction in claims and lower insurance premiums. ‘As you can imagine with a relatively large fleet our insurance premiums were quite high,’ Mr Howe added. ‘Thanks to the Durite cameras we have been able to fight crash-for-cash claims. Our premium went down this year by 5%.
‘Our insurers have been so impressed that they gave us a payment towards fitting the cameras, sensors, and DVRs to five new vehicles. They know that the Durite system produces the right results in terms of proving it is not our drivers at fault when an incident occurs.’
During 2022, BP Mitchell ordered 23 new Scania trucks and have, once again, approached Durite to propose the best camera solution.
‘We are currently rolling out 20 kits and will look to follow suit with the rest of the fleet,’ said Mr Howe. ‘We have worked with Durite for several years and trust them to provide us with the best solution for our trucks. The new kits are excellent and the drivers like them as they are user-friendly. On top of that it makes my life much easier in terms of accident investigations.’
