A dash cam is not merely a fancy gadget that record events, it is a very useful device that is capable of much more. Read on and find out why every car should have a dash cam!
Dash Cam: Capturing Every Moment on the Road
The number of car owners installing a dash cam is increasing over the past few years. Why? It’s simply because of the benefits that stem from having one. Dash cams do not only record your trip, it can also be used for a variety of purposes, such as for legal protection against lawsuits and insurance fraud. Below are other good reasons why having a dash cam is handy when you need it most:
1. You’ll have evidence of a car accident
One of the worst thing 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 are 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.
- 【Dual Lens 1080P Dash Cam】Best dash cam to record car interior picked by Wirecutter. Based on the powerful Novatek NT96660 CPU, advanced Sony Exmor IMX323 sensor (inside car camera) and OV4689 (front car camera) image sensor, the dual 1080P dash cam simultaneously captures the road front (170°) and inside the cabin (140°) in crystal details at dual 1920x1080P 30fps. Or utilize the front cam only to record road front at 2560x1440P@30fps or 1920x1080P@60fps, capturing license plates clear.
- 【Infrared Night Vision w/Sony Sensor】Advanced sony IMX323 sensor, F2.0 6-glass lens rear facing cam plus 4 IR LED lights greatly enhances night vision inside car at low light environment, making your driving more safer at night. F1.8 6-glass lens front facing cam and unique HDR video system automatically balance the light and dark areas of the video. Simply toggle the night vision status by pressing the power button.
- 【Parking Mode & Auto LCD OFF】24 Hours Motion activated parking mode makes the dual car camera to automatically record when it detects motion in front of your car • Auto start and record when the ignition sparks up • Auto LCD OFF timer ensure you won't be disturbed by another glowing rectangle on your windshield• Ideal for most climates:-4°-158°F (-20°-70°C) • Excellent audio recording with built in micphone • Time lapse function automatically takes photos at specified intervals
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 just to extort money. Also, they fake injuries so they can collect a large amount of insurance money from their insurance companies.
There are those people who will purposely run into oncoming traffic. They don’t care if they will acquire a broken 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’ll never know what could 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 that can be set throughout the entire time you’re away without leaving the engine on.
- The ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) - the most advanced and optimized visual recognition algorithms ensure safe driving by providing real time Lane Departure
- Emergency recording feature - Enabled by G-sensor technology, the camera automatically saves footage in the events leading up to a collision and immediately after
- High Definition Image and First-class Night vision - 1920x1080p 60fps high speed video recording captures fast moving scenes and creates high resolution images in high speed. Note: Requires 8 - 64GB Class10 or above microSD card, sold separately
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, most dash cams do not only come with recording capabilities, but there’s a plethora of features and functions that can help you while you’re out on the road. There are cams that have a GPS Logger feature, which records the precise position, time, and speed of your car throughout your journey.
Also, you can register your destinations onto a log file so you can manage your trip without any trouble. Others have motion sensors that can detect any movement going on around your vehicle and a night vision functionality so you can still record footage even under low light conditions.
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 this one 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.
- DISCREET DESIGN: Signature low-profile design allows the V1 to be a well-hidden witness to the road ahead
- LOOP RECORDING: Video can be recorded in 3, 5, or 10 minute segments. When the storage limit is reached on the memory card, new recordings will automatically overwrite oldest recordings
- Supports high-endurance micro SD memory cards up to 128GB in memory size
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 that can defend you against false insurance claims and other legal disputes. You can also catch road bullies, vandals, and be the key to their apprehension or perhaps, catch some footage of nail-biting and stunning phenomena that will make viewers want to repeatedly hit the replay button. There are a plethora of reasons that make a dash cam a worthy investment for your vehicle. So what are you waiting for?
Do you already own a dash cam? How is it working for you? Share your experiences or even your videos in the comments below!
Last update on 2018-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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