Cameras and Code Drive Down Fleet Crashes

New research confirms AI-powered telematics slashes fleet crash rates by nearly 75%, reshaping road safety standards across US trucking

26 Feb 2026

Artificial intelligence-based telematics systems are significantly reducing crash rates across US commercial fleets, according to new research from Samsara, based on data collected from more than 2,600 operators over 30 months.

The company’s Safety Report, published in October 2025, analysed anonymised data drawn from billions of miles driven and more than 20tn annual data points. Fleets deploying a full suite of AI tools, including dual-facing cameras, in-cab alerts and automated coaching, recorded a 73 per cent decline in crash rates over the period.

That reduction was almost twice as large as that seen among fleets using only partial systems. Dual-facing cameras, which monitor both the road and driver behaviour, delivered more than double the improvement of front-facing devices alone, highlighting the role of monitoring fatigue and phone use.

Safety gains emerged quickly and increased over time. Within six months, fleets reported a 48 per cent fall in harsh driving events and an 84 per cent drop in mobile phone usage. By 30 months, those figures had reached 69 per cent and 96 per cent respectively.

Johan Land, SVP of Product and Engineering, Safety and AI at Samsara, said the findings showed that AI would become central to road safety. He stated that these results confirm AI will be the most transformative technology seen for road safety, actively preventing crashes at scale.

Separate research points to rising competition in the sector. In February 2026, ABI Research ranked Lytx as the leading video telematics provider among ten vendors, citing its machine vision system capable of detecting more than 100 driver behaviours.
The consultancy noted that competition is shifting away from hardware towards software capabilities, including edge-based AI processing, integrated data platforms and automated coaching systems.

Together, the findings suggest a broader shift in fleet safety management. Operators are increasingly moving from reactive approaches, based on incident review, to systems that identify and mitigate risk in real time.

The transition carries implications for regulatory compliance, insurance costs and operational performance, as fleets seek to standardise AI-driven safety tools across large vehicle networks.