A dash cam is not merely a recording gadget but a useful device capable of other practical purposes. Read on and find out why every car owner should install a dash cam! The number of car owners installing a dash cam has been increasing over the past few years. Why? It’s simply because of the safety benefits which have come to light from having one. Dash cams not only record your trips and events but have also proved essential for legal protection against lawsuits and insurance fraud. Learn why having a dash cam is handy when you need it most, in this article!
Dash Cam: Capturing Every Moment on the Road
1. You’ll Have Evidence of a Car Accident
One of the worst things that could happen to anyone is getting into a car accident. The primary reason why a number of car owners install a dash cam is to find out who is responsible for the collision.
Your dash cam will provide investigators or insurance companies real-time and efficient proof in the event of an accident. Should there be any trial, the liable party will have to pay for the damages the car or the driver incurred.
2. It is Your Way Out of a Ticket
If you were stopped by a law enforcer and accused of a violation you knew you didn’t commit, have them check your dash cam footage. This will help you to avoid or contest a potential ticket. More often than not, a moving traffic violation will give you points on your driving record and strike you with higher car insurance charges. However, beating a ticket will prevent you from paying a huge insurance surcharge.
In a related scenario, a dashboard camera for a car can also be instrumental in shedding some light in social issues of today confronting both sides of the alley. Both authorities and civilians are able to defend themselves against accusations from either side with a dash cam.
3. You Can Deter Insurance Fraud
Insurance fraud is continuously becoming a problem for honest drivers. On one hand, there are drivers who intentionally cause car accidents and put the blame on others to extort them. They also fake injuries so they can collect a large amount from their insurance companies.
There are also those people who will purposely run into oncoming traffic. They don’t care even if they break an arm as long as they can get a nice fat insurance settlement.
Having a dash cam can record these scenarios and will help you and authorities catch the one who staged the “crash for cash” scheme. This will deter scammers from taking money from you for things you did not do.
4. You Can Watch Your Unattended Vehicle
When you leave your car in the parking lot or in the driveway, you don’t really know what might happen to it. Your ride could be vandalized or get scraped by the car next to you. A dash cam can record the incident and help you find out who the culprit is. There are dash cams you can set throughout the entire time you’re away without leaving the engine on.
5. It is a Solution for Road Bullies
When you’re out on the road, there will be instances where you encounter bad drivers. These drivers are reckless, irresponsible, and can put your life and your passengers in danger. However, having a dash cam can help you report these drivers to authorities and have them pay for their wrongdoings. Report drunk drivers and incidents of road rage to make roads a safer place for everybody.
6. It Has Useful Features
Nowadays, the best dash cam for a car comes with more than just recording capabilities. There’s a plethora of features and functions to help you while you’re out on the road. There are cams with a GPS Logger feature, which records the precise position, time, and speed of your car throughout your journey.
You can also register your destinations onto a log file so you can manage your trip without any trouble. Others have motion sensors which detect any movement going on around your vehicle. They also come with a night vision functionality so you can still record footage even under low light conditions.
The best dash camera features will prove very useful for you and your family’s safety. Besides road accidents, auto thefts and other criminal activities can be recorded or avoided with these dash cam features.
7. You Can Capture the Unexpected
There are a lot of things that can happen when you’re out on the road. Although the main reason for installing a dash cam is for your safety and legal protection, you can also capture countless surprising things. You may catch accidents involving other cars due to a whitetail darting out on the road or because of a sudden landslide.
There was one extraordinary incident where a Russian driver’s dash cam caught a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere. The video went viral and ended up having millions of views on Youtube.
Watch this video from Top15s and check out these nerve-racking events caught on dash cam!
We can’t stress enough the importance of having dash cam with you wherever you drive. It is a tool to help defend you against false insurance claims and other legal disputes. You can also catch road bullies, vandals, and be the key to their apprehension. Inadvertently, your dash camera can also be instrumental in bringing justice to random people involved in accidents or criminal incidents. With a dash camera, ‘your word against mine’ is no match, the evidence is on record! With these practical reasons, we believe a dash cam for your car is in order!
Do you already own a dash cam? How is it working for you? Share your experiences or even your videos in the comments below!
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The contents of this article are for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 22, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
I know of a guy that got out of a ticket because he had one of these. Unfortunately he still had to go to court though but it still saved him some money in the long run.
A woman hit my vehicle after pulling into my lane where my car was stopped behind a truck. Three days later, she claimed that my car struck hers (though the damage to both cars clearly show that she’d pulled into mine): my adjuster told me that she was claiming severe soft tissue injuries.
I’d completely forgotten that I had a dash cam operating in my new car, and when I told my adjuster that the entire incident was recorded on my dash cam, clearly showing that I wasn’t moving when my car was hit from the side, the motorist suddenly dropped her claim and her insurance company accepted all liability for the accident (but much too late to retract her police report claiming I’d hit her, causing severe injuries). She now is facing felony false police report charges, filing a false injury-accident report, and she has since lost her auto insurance for lying to her adjuster,
My dash cam lets me know when a red light camera is up ahead.
How does your dash cam let you know there is a red light camera up ahead? Mine doesn’t do that.
Technology! Any dedicated GPS device with a cam has this capability; as do several mapping apps. Sygic has this feature in its Premium offering, even saving the last 5 minutes before a crash. I’m sure many such apps have such features.I have the one I mentioned. Some dash cams now include such a feature. And car monitoring devices which fit into the diagnostic port can also do this, along with a lot of other features
This was a very informative article! Keep up the good work!
I have two, one forward, one back, the back one saved my butt one time when a fellow claimed that I backed into him at a light. When I showed him the camera, he suddenly remembered an appointment he had to git to. Cheep insurance from scammers.
I saw a ute close up the gap when a mazda wanted to move lanes, Then further along the mazda tried again and was cut off. The mazda went in behind the ute, then the ute driver slowed down to a crawl Really stpid driving and then the mazda overtook at speed. The ute tried again to cut him off and clipped the back of the mazda. It spun in a circle hitting the wall of the motorway. The ute driver continued off. I knew I had the film on my dash cam. No one stopped for th mazda driver and the accident was two lanes over so I stopped and ran across the motorway. I left my dash cam on and filmed another car crash into the mazda. The police used the film to catch the ute and provided the mazda driver with evidence for the claim..