Note
Forward Collision Detection is currently in beta and is supported with CM31 and CM32 dash cameras. Before you enable this feature, review the AI Beta Feature Disclaimer.
Samsara dash cams can detect when a vehicle comes within seconds of a forward collision to alert the driver and help to prevent potential collisions. Dash cams use object detection algorithms to identify an imminent forward collision and trigger a warning if the time exceeds the set threshold. Forward Collision Warning (FCW) AI Event Detection helps you improve driver safety by sending optional in-cab alerts to encourage drivers to practice safe driving behaviors.
High-speed collisions that exceed the detection threshold, such as head-on collisions, as well as collisions from the side or rear of the vehicle are not included in the FCW detection.
FCW events do not impact the driver safety score, but do trigger an upload of a ten second video to the Safety Inbox for review and coaching. As with other event alerts, you can create a real-time alert in email or using SMS when an FCW event occurs.
To reduce false positives, Forward Collision Warning triggers only when all of the following are true:
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Vehicle speeds are greater than 25 mph
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Event occurs during daytime hours. FCW Detection is disabled at night
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The Vehicle Gateway (VG) detects that vehicle braking occurred (for vehicles that provide braking diagnostics or ECU data)
FCW accuracy improves over time with detection feedback. Common known false triggers include: tunnels and underpasses, curved roads, reflections, and detection in poor visibility such as rain or snow.
When you Configure Forward Collision Warning, you can customize the time-to-collision threshold and in-cab audio alerts. Decreasing the sensitivity time threshold may reduce the triggering of some or all these events.
When the dash cam detects a imminent collision when vehicle speed is greater than the configured speed threshold, Samsara can play optional in-cab audio alerts to help notify drivers of a potential collision.
Before you enable FCW, review AI Event Detection for camera calibration and setting recommendations. To enable and configure Forward Collision Warning:
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Select the Settings icon (
) at the bottom of your Fleet menu to view dashboard settings. -
From Fleet > Safety > Event Detection, locate the AI Event Detection settings and enable Forward Collision Warning.
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Configure the Forward Collision Warning settings:
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In-cab audio alerts: Choose
ONto play in-cab audio alerts when Samsara detects an immenent forward collision. By default, in-cab audio alerts areOFF. In-cab audio alerts play up to 2 seconds before a collision. -
Sensitivity: Corresponds to the allowable distance from the object to the vehicle before an alert triggers (Near (default), Medium, Far). The closer the sensitivity, the shorter the distance from the vehicle to the object before an alert triggers. The in-cab alert triggers when the vehicle exceeds the threshold.
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Save to confirm the setting.
Your dash cams automatically calibrate for Forward Collision detection. For more information, see Dash Cam Calibration for Forward Collision Detection.
After you enable Forward Collision detection, your cameras automatically determine camera height and calibrate the dash cams. During this time, vehicles must operate for approximately 30 min at speeds greater than 45 mph to enable the calibration process to complete.
If enabled and the dash cam is not calibrated, the vehicle receives an in-cab audio alert for Forward Collision detection; however, the event is automatically marked with a Dismissed status (Safety > Safety Inbox > Dismissed) in the Samsara dashboard.
