Motive, a company specializing in AI dashcams for construction fleets, has announced the results of a controlled test track study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) that found Motive’s AI Dashcam successfully generated alerts related to six unsafe driving behaviors three to four times more than the latest models from Samsara and Lytx.
The Motive AI Dashcam successfully alerted drivers to unsafe driving behavior 86% of the time, compared to 21% for Samsara and 32% for Lytx.
“There is an epidemic of road accidents and fatalities that continues to worsen but, with advancements in AI, they should be getting better. Even worse, the principal cause of these accidents – including distracted and unsafe driving behavior – are 100% preventable,” said Shoaib Makani, co-founder and CEO at Motive.
“The results of VTTI’s research are not just about comparing products. They show that these technologies don’t all perform the same, which can have major implications for accident prevention. At Motive, our goal is to achieve zero harm and zero preventable accidents. We will work tirelessly to improve our AI models and overall safety solution until we and our customers reach that goal.”
Observing Unsafe Driving Behavior
The study specifically observed the likelihood of each system (the Motive DC-54, Samsara’s HW-CM32 and the Lytx Drive Cam SF400) to generate alerts for common unsafe behaviors and found the Motive AI Dashcam to be associated with higher likelihoods to achieve this. Distracted driving behaviors where this was particularly notable included:
- Phone Call Overall Alert Rates: Motive: 95%, Samsara: 38%, Lytx: 28%
- Texting Overall Alert Rates: Motive: 71%, Samsara: 30%, Lytx: 13%
The unsafe behaviors the study observed were close following, rolling stops and not using seat belts. At least one competitor model showed no successful alerts for either rolling stops or not using seatbelts, and there was a stark difference between the models in likelihood of generating an alert for close following:
- Rolling Stop: Motive 77%, Samsara 0% (The study excluded Lytx’s rolling stop alerts due to Lytx’s decision to deactivate the alert feature for all customers during the study period.)
- Seat Belt Use: Motive 100%, Lytx 100%, Samsara 0% alert rate overall
- Close Following Overall Alert Rates: Motive: 67%, Samsara: 18%, Lytx: 28%
Finally, the AI Dashcam had significantly shorter time to alert compared to Lytx for phone call tasks, 45-degree texting, and no seatbelt trials and significantly shorter time to alert for close following trials compared to Samsara.
“The study highlights significant performance differences between the AI-powered dashcam providers in alerting drivers of unsafe driving behaviors across multiple conditions and scenarios,” said Susan Soccolich, senior researcher, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
“VTTI conducts research to first and foremost save lives, from driver to passenger to pedestrian. Studies like this one can help progress safety in the transportation industry by identifying situations where technologies can improve its real-time alerts of unsafe behaviors to drivers.”
IRONPROS Perspective
This study is pivotal for businesses developing fleet safety technology for construction vehicles, as it solidifies the use cases of their products. With the rise of mobile phones and TV monitors in trucks, drivers now face more distractions on the job than ever. This makes dashcams essential for fleet operators looking for effective driver monitoring solutions.