AI cameras: how artificial intelligence prevents road accidents

Every year, traffic accidents on Latin American roads cost transport companies hundreds of millions of dollars in claims, repairs, lawsuits and lost productivity. The number one cause isn't road conditions or traffic — it's the human factor. Drowsiness, phone distraction and reckless driving are responsible for 73% of accidents involving commercial vehicles, according to PAHO.

Artificial intelligence is changing that. AI-powered cameras installed facing the driver (DMS — Driver Monitoring System) and toward the road (ADAS — Advanced Driver Assistance System) detect risky behaviors in real time and alert the driver before an incident occurs.

How drowsiness and distraction detection works

A DMS camera uses a computer vision model trained on millions of facial images. It analyzes in real time:

• Eyelid closure: detects microsleeps (eyes closed for more than 1.5 seconds) and accumulated fatigue through blink frequency.
• Gaze direction: if the driver looks to the side for more than 3 seconds, the system triggers a distraction alert.
• Phone use: the model identifies whether the driver is holding a device in front of their face.
• Eating or smoking: detects objects being brought to the mouth while driving.

When a risk situation is detected, the system emits an immediate audio alert in the cabin, sends a notification to the fleet supervisor and saves the video clip for later review.

ADAS: seeing what the driver can't see

The road-facing camera (ADAS) adds another layer of protection. It detects:

• Unintentional lane departure (Lane Departure Warning).
• Dangerous proximity to the vehicle ahead (Forward Collision Warning).
• Pedestrian crossings in risk zones.
• Traffic signs and traffic lights.

The combination of DMS + ADAS creates a digital co-pilot that simultaneously monitors the driver and the road, without rest, 24 hours a day.

Real results from fleets that already have it

A logistics operator with 45 trucks on Bogotá-Barranquilla routes implemented AI cameras and in the first year:

• Reduced road incidents by 61%.
• Cut insurance costs by 18% by presenting driving reports to their insurer.
• Completely eliminated fines for phone use while driving.
• Used video clips to train drivers with the highest risk scores.

Is the investment worth it?

The cost of a serious accident with a cargo vehicle — including repairs, medical costs, cargo loss, vehicle downtime and potential lawsuits — can easily exceed $15,000 USD. An AI camera integrated with a GPS platform costs a fraction of that, and preventing just one serious incident per year makes the investment fully worthwhile.

If you want to know which cameras are compatible with NavisTracker and how to integrate them into your current management dashboard, talk to one of our advisors.