Dash Cams - Are They Worth It?
With increasing dash cam sales in recent years, you may be wondering whether it would be worth you getting one. Camera technology does make sense on frantic roads, capturing other people’s bad driving behaviour, showing blame in accidents, and even catching other bizarre criminal activity, but how exactly does a dash cam work and what are the pros and cons? This article should answer those questions and help you to decide whether or not getting a dash cam is worthwhile.
How do dash cams work?
Dash cams are small devices which affix to the windscreen or dashboard of your vehicle and constantly film the road ahead as you drive. Some systems also come with dual cameras with one pointed at the front windscreen and one at the rear, providing full coverage.
Dash cams either use batteries or your vehicle’s power source via a cable connected to the USB or lighter port. They record video footage in segments, saving each one after a set period of time to a memory card. These segments will continuously be deleted and replaced so that the storage never gets full and you can continue recording without needing to worry about wiping the memory. If you do need to keep a clip, you will be able to upload it to another device and store it indefinitely while allowing the dash cam to continue overwriting old footage with new.
Dash cam pros and cons
Pros
Dash cam footage can be used as evidence
If you are ever involved in or witness a road accident, your dash cam recording could provide evidence of what happened and who was at fault. This can strengthen a report of dangerous driving, capture licence plates so that inconsiderate road users or even criminals can be identified and brought to justice, and it can prove your own innocence.
You may be offered reduced insurance premiums with a dash cam
Some insurance providers offer a dash-cam discount if you have a device fitted to your vehicle due to their ability to help prevent accidents.
They improve driving awareness
Not only will you be aware that your driving habits are being recorded which can naturally encourage you to make sensible decisions on the road, but some dash cams also provide information about the road and your driving. Some systems are programmed with speed limit data and will alert you if you exceed this, some will alert you when you are too close to the vehicle in front, some will provide lane departure warnings and some will even give you a score based on your driving.
Cons
Potential for theft
A dash cam is very visible to people walking by your parked car and fairly easy to remove, and unfortunately there may be individuals who would want to attempt to steal it.
May be a distraction
The dash cams which alert you with notifications about your driving behaviour could be a source of distraction if you take your eyes off the road to read a message appearing on the screen of the device. If you are concerned about this being an issue, dash cam settings can usually be easily adjusted to silence notifications.
Should I buy a dash cam?
Hopefully this article has given you enough information to help you figure out if it is worth getting in a dash cam. Personally, we think that anything that improves road safety and absolves you of liability in an accident is worthwhile.