84% of Fleets Cite Driver Exoneration as a Leading Reason for Deploying Safety Tech

Jan. 5, 2026 — New research from Teletrac Navman, a connected mobility platform and a Vontier company, has found that 84% of fleets cite driver exoneration as a leading reason for deploying safety technology, with 53% of fleets that suffered accidents in the past 12 months successfully able to exonerate a driver.

The Mobilizing the Future of Fleets: 2026 Risk and Exoneration Edition uncovered that a third (34%) of fleets reported being impacted by fraudulent motor claims. 77% of respondents also agreed that increasing litigation and legal costs are now a global concern. 

“The role of telematics is evolving and taking on a more strategic purpose in fleet organizations, moving solely from a tool used for cost control and improvements, to an extremely powerful, proactive risk prevention and management solution,” said Alain Samaha, CEO of Teletrac Navman.

“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 stabilizes margins.”

Teletrac Navman’s research found that modern fleets are also taking a considered and layered approach to risk management, with 56% utilizing five or more technologies and 74% partnering telematics with dashcams — this combination 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.

Accordingly, since implementing safety technology 85% of fleets have reported being able to counter the general rise in insurance premiums, with 65% recording premium decreases. Nearly three-quarters (70%) 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,” added Samaha. “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.”

Visit teletracnavman.com.