Digital Ally has released a video event data recorder (VEDR) that comes with no ongoing contracts and no additional software to purchase. Digital Ally’s VEDR is said to provide liability protection and insurance and operational savings by recording vehicular accidents and providing proof against fraudulent claims. It can also be used to review incidents for training purposes, monitoring blind spots, or assisting in behavior training, the company said.
“With continued focus on reducing costs in 2012, many governmental and commercial fleet managers are considering cost saving investments like event recorders,” said Stanton E. Ross, CEO. “Event recorders can reduce insurance and operational expenses at the same time as cost-effectively providing several otherwise desired services, such as reverse cameras for safely backing vehicles up, GPS route management and fleet surveillance. Also, recent studies have shown that driver distraction is becoming an increasingly prevalent safety issue, especially cell phone use, and these systems provide an excellent tool for combating this.”
Digital Ally’s DVM-250 and DVM-250Plus model VEDRs record and store video, audio and detailed information from vehicle-involved incidents. Recordings may be set to automatically start when the vehicle reaches a specific speed, drives within specified GPS corridors or ranges, or any number of other customizable options, including violent maneuvers, shifting the vehicle into reverse, emergency lights, and door sensors.
Recordings may also be started manually, such as to record criminal actions of passengers or events transpiring outside a stopped vehicle.
The devices automatically record 30 seconds prior to the moment a recording is triggered – either manually or when preset.
If another person caused the incident, such as illegally turning in front of the VEDR-equipped vehicle, it will also be recorded, providing valuable protection to the driver and their employer, Digital Ally said.
The VEDRs are integrated into a rear-view mirror so that they do not interfere with the driver’s line of site or take up valuable space. They can be installed into any type of vehicle, including those that did not previously include a rear-view mirror. Integrated cameras and a microphone inside the rear-view mirror capture video in front of the vehicle as well as video and audio inside the vehicle. An optional third camera and monitor hidden behind the mirror glass are often used when backing the vehicle up or monitoring a vehicle compartment. The specialized one-way mirror glass allows this optional monitor to remain invisible while not in use.
Recordings are saved onto 16GB of internal solid state memory with optional redundancy onto 8GB-32GB removable SD memory cards. When using SD memory cards, the internal memory will loop, automatically overwriting the oldest recordings.
Recordings may be downloaded from the SD memory cards through USB or with optional wireless download.
The systems come with the GPS receiver/antenna, microphone and cameras, etc. as well as back office software.