New research from Teletrac Navman reveals that protecting motorists is a key reason fleets are investing in safety technology.
The research discovered that 84 per cent of fleets cite driver exoneration as a leading reason for deploying safety technology, with 53 per cent of fleets that suffered accidents in the past 12 months successfully able to exonerate a driver.
The ‘Mobilising the Future of Fleets: 2026 Risk and Exoneration Edition’ uncovered that a third of fleets reported being impacted by fraudulent motor claims and 77 per cent also agreed that increasing litigation and legal costs are now a global concern.
This was made evident by the rise of fleet insurance premiums with umbrella liability coverage increasing from 10 per cent to 30 per cent, and auto liability from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.
“The role of telematics is evolving and taking on a more strategic purpose in fleet organisations, moving solely from a tool used for cost control and improvements, to an extremely powerful, proactive risk prevention and management solution,” Teletrac Navman COO Alain Samaha says.
“A high percentage of fleet safety incidents are caused by third parties and other external factors, and video telematics is now the most powerful tool to provide irrefutable, contextual evidence that protects people, preserves reputations, and stabilises margins.”
The research also found that modern fleets are taking a considered and layered approach to risk management, with 56 per cent utilising five or more technologies and 74 per cent partnering telematics with dashcams, providing fleets with the full context around driving events, combining performance metrics, video evidence and location data to create a complete, defensible picture when incidents occur, and for meaningful, proactive driver training.
Since implementing safety technology, 85 per cent of fleets have reported being able to counter the general rise in insurance premiums, with 65 per cent recording premium decreases.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents reported that combining cameras with telematics data drastically reduced the time needed to process accident claims, indicating that integrated evidence is transforming disputes into clear outcomes.
“This is a moment for fleet leaders to make a positive, strategic shift,” Samaha says.
“Treat safety tech as a long‑term asset: invest in platforms that scale, embed evidence into everyday workflows and fraud protection, and use outcomes to renegotiate insurance and drive operational change.
“Do this, and safety becomes a competitive differentiator – not just a line on a budget, but a foundation for resilience and growth.”