Following a sales surge of more than 40% in the UK, the firm says it’s committed to having similar success over the Atlantic. Some US states such as Nevada have made CCTV cameras in taxis compulsory – and similar measures exist in some UK cities such as Oxford.

SmartWitness managing director Simon Marsh said the new but very experienced Chicago-based sales and operations team have already started to manage existing clients and are already having great success with fresh clients.

The expansion follows the launch of the firm’s new KP1, hailed as “the most powerful and advanced” journey recorder in the world, which was showcased at the UK’s Commercial Vehicle show at the NEC Birmingham last week alongside SmartWitness' SVC100GPS, which has sold more than 250,000 units worldwide.

SmartWitness says fleets using its cameras can slash incident records by 50% and insurance premiums by 20% and have case studies to back up their claims.

Marsh said: ‘This is a really exciting time for SmartWitness and we feel the time is right to make the move to America and this has also been driven by our International clients’ needs.

‘We know there is huge sales potential in targeting clients who are looking for a cost effective and reliable system which can deliver crystal clear images seconds after an incident occurs.

‘And obviously with more states in the US making vehicle CCTV compulsory, there is huge potential there for further sales growth.

‘We've had a fantastic response to our products since opening in Chicago and we look forward to repeating the sales growth we have achieved in the UK and throughout Europe.’