The company recently started rolling out camera-based safety
technology across its delivery fleet, it said in an emailed statement on
Wednesday.
"This technology will provide drivers real-time alerts
to help them stay safe when they are on the road," the statement added.
The company's plans were earlier disclosed in an
instructional video about the cameras, reported earlier in the day by
technology publication the Information. (https://bit.ly/2MPF68U)
Amazon said in the video that the cameras, developed by
transportation technology company Netradyne, use artificial intelligence (AI)
to provide warnings about speeding and distracted driving among other things.
They have been shown to reduce collisions and improve driver
behavior, Amazon's Karolina Haraldsdottir, a senior manager for last-mile
safety, said in the video.
Amazon has come under some scrutiny in the past for
accidents involving delivery drivers.
"Our intention with this technology is to set up
drivers for success and provide them with support for being safer on road and
handling incidents if and when they happen," Haraldsdottir said in the
video.
The video explains that while the cameras will constantly
record video, they only upload footage if triggered by actions like hard
braking, driver drowsiness, following vehicles too closely. -Reuters