Why a Dashcam?

[Harrier Man]

I have noticed several owners have opted to have dashcams fitted. May I ask what reasons people have for doing so?

[Herbie]

Why not?

Far too many idiots around on the roads these days. Accidents can be genuine and, well, accidental, or they can be deliberate 'crash for cash' occurences.

Dashcams can show who caused the accident and the footage can be used in fighting your case. They can also capture agressors tunring violent towards you or someone else.

An absolute 'must have' in this day and age.

[RXtoNX]

To give an example, 2 weeks ago I was visited by local plod who informed me that a complaint had been made that I had caused £800 of damage to a car in a car park by repeatedly opening my door into theirs.

I recalled a situation where I parked in an empty part of this car park only to return to the car with another car parked so close to me that I struggled to get in my car. At no point did my car door touch theirs. I was able to download footage from my dashcam which showed the other car parking up next to me in an empty car park very closely, my dashcam records movement when the ignition is off.

The police concluded that the other party was trying it on and had parked so close with the intent of trying to make a claim. 
 

Only you can decide if you think you can benefit from one but there are plenty of scammers out there

[LenT]

On 5/30/2022 at 8:37 PM, Harrier Man said:

I have noticed several owners have opted to have dashcams fitted. May I ask what reasons people have for doing so?

I can’t think of a reason NOT to!

In fact, I’m sure they will be eventually built-in to new cars.  I have them on both our cars and have recorded many examples of bad driving that could have resulted in accidents.

One was egregious enough to warrant Police visiting the driver and issuing a warning.  One helped another driver who was hit while navigating a roundabout.  And when my Accord was written off on the M25, the camera recorded the HGV changing lanes and persuaded its Insurers to settle the claim in full without further delay!

Of course, there is a downside.  It records your own driving as well.  So in that respect it might improve it.  For one thing, it may make you more patient. There’s a lot of satisfaction in knowing that however badly someone behaves in front or behind you, you’ve got them on video.

 

[dts439]

I had them fitted (front and rear) to our car by the dealer for peace of mind.  I'd add that the dealers currently fit the NextBase 380 GWX and the cost is reasonable.  However, it is a pain downloading the footage through the NextBase Cam Viewer app if you use the same phone to connect to CarPlay.

Still surprised its not a standard built-in feature given the number of cameras on cars these days.  Only think Tesla do this currently?

[John Adams]

25 minutes ago, dts439 said:

I had them fitted (front and rear) to our car by the dealer for peace of mind.  I'd add that the dealers currently fit the NextBase 380 GWX and the cost is reasonable.  However, it is a pain downloading the footage through the NextBase Cam Viewer app if you use the same phone to connect to CarPlay.

Still surprised its not a standard built-in feature given the number of cameras on cars these days.  Only think Tesla do this currently?

I had front and rear fitted by my dealer also on the last two cars. Have to agree it is a pain trying to download to the app so I take the SD card out and download to the computer which is much easier in my opinion. 

[08ISF]

A dash cam is absolutely essential in these times. Driving standards have fallen noticeably since Covid and lack of police presence on the roads. Together with this a worrying proportion of our population have no moral compass and will think nothing of claiming that what ever happens was your fault , and will even produce "witnesses" to back that up. Just make sure the camera has a clear image and is reliable. Plenty of reviews on the net. I tend to agree with the last post  re downloading videos. I've found connection to a phone a bit hit and miss and prefer taking the card out and interrogating it on the computer.

[Herbie]

@Harrier Man You ask why have a dashcam and we reply asking why not? Maybe this will help persuade you - and there are many, many more examples on YouTube:

 

 

[Herbie]

And here are some of the ridiculous dashcam scams coming out of Russia. They may look stupid, silly, even some of them funny, but if the dashcam wasn't present, I wonder how many of these scammers would get away with it?

 

 

[LenT]

1 hour ago, Herbie said:

And here are some of the ridiculous dashcam scams coming out of Russia. They may look stupid, silly, even some of them funny, but if the dashcam wasn't present, I wonder how many of these scammers would get away with it?

 

 

I can’t help wondering about the possible videos which, for obvious reasons, drivers have not put into the public sector.

Namely, those instances when scammers have thrown themselves in front of vehicles which - for one reason or another - failed to stop.  It’s rather like picking a fight with a total stranger.  Sometimes people just don’t react the way you planned.

It’s possible that some promising scamming careers have come to a painful end.

[Harrier Man]

Thank you for all your thoughts and comments. I'm probably too trusting and a bit naive to be living in today's world. On the other hand, I live in the North of Scotland where, fortunately, we seem to have fewer scammers and boy racers. Dreading a trip now to Wales later in the year when I have to pass through the bad-lands of englandshire! LoL.

[Herbie]

39 minutes ago, Harrier Man said:

Thank you for all your thoughts and comments. I'm probably too trusting and a bit naive to be living in today's world. On the other hand, I live in the North of Scotland where, fortunately, we seem to have fewer scammers and boy racers. Dreading a trip now to Wales later in the year when I have to pass through the bad-lands of englandshire! LoL.

Just get cameras fitted and you'll be good to go Malcolm

[LenT]

2 hours ago, Harrier Man said:

 I live in the North of Scotland where, fortunately, we seem to have fewer scammers and boy racers.

Unfortunately they are not the only examples of dangerous wildlife.
I believe you do have quite a few Red Deer - the UK’s largest land mammal.

According to the British Deer Society, between 40,000 and as many as 74,000 are involved in automotive accidents annually.  An adult male can weigh over 200kg.  So I expect that the results of a case of car v deer are not going to easily polish out.

In which case your Insurers may well feel more kindly towards your repair claim if it’s accompanied with video of a jaywalking deer.  In my experience, the use of a dashcam only has to happen once and it’s paid for itself.

[Mincey]

18 hours ago, LenT said:

It’s possible that some promising scamming careers have come to a painful end.

I apologise in advance for the Daily Star link: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/teenager-killed-after-jumping-front-27164140

[LenT]

14 minutes ago, Mincey said:

I apologise in advance for the Daily Star link: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/teenager-killed-after-jumping-front-27164140

Clearly a contender for a Darwin Award.
 

https://darwinawards.com/darwin/

[LenT]

14 hours ago, Harrier Man said:

Thank you for all your thoughts and comments. I'm probably too trusting and a bit naive to be living in today's world. On the other hand, I live in the North of Scotland where, fortunately, we seem to have fewer scammers and boy racers. Dreading a trip now to Wales later in the year when I have to pass through the bad-lands of englandshire! LoL.

I’ve no wish to pry, Malcolm, but I wondered if you’ve read enough to join the ranks of the dashcamed?  I would add that the more cameras there are out on the road, the more that all road users can benefit by improving driving standards.

Incidentally, it’s not just motoring.  I recall a recent gang related stabbing which prompted the Police to ask passing motorists to check their cameras for possible evidence.

[McShmoopy]

 

On 5/30/2022 at 8:37 PM, Harrier Man said:

I have noticed several owners have opted to have dashcams fitted. May I ask what reasons people have for doing so?

Here is the best reason for a dash cam, you can do everything correct and be subject to an accident. This happened to me on the Bank Holiday Friday unfortunately, the damage is pretty minor and thankfully the bloke took liability and was very apologetic. More often then not that isn't the case and its your word against theres. Its best to have the footage and never need it then have an accident and not have footage to back you up. 

 

[J Henderson]

WTF. Were they trying to overtake you? Hopefully your car gets sorted. My one wasn't after this.

Police obtained the footage and the driver was prosecuted.

Even if you end up not "needing" a dashcam, it could pay for itself via discounts on your insurance premium.

[McShmoopy]

19 minutes ago, J Henderson said:

WTF. Were they trying to overtake you? Hopefully your car gets sorted. My one wasn't after this.

 

Police obtained the footage and the driver was prosecuted.

Even if you end up not "needing" a dashcam, it could pay for itself via discounts on your insurance premium.

Oh yes for sure, the partial discount is worth it and you don't need to disclose footage unless you want to. Mine is a pricier road angel becuase I wanted to hard wire it but you can pick one up for absolute pennies on amazon. 

In terms of this driver, supposedly he didn't see me (which is frankly insane) but I didn't give him too hard of a time. I've just had a look at your footage, that is terrible luck what on earth was that van driver doing!  

[Herbie]

21 minutes ago, McShmoopy said:

Mine is a pricier road angel becuase I wanted to hard wire it

Any dashcam can be hardwired you know, very easily

[McShmoopy]

11 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Any dashcam can be hardwired you know, very easily

Haha yeah that I know but I didnt want to hard wire one of those cheapo Chinese cameras to my car incase something were to happen to it and mess up my cars fuse box.  Plus I found with alot of the cheaper dash cams they had those ugly screens which made it quite distracting and I wanted it to be a clean install while being discreet. The road angel while pricey seemed to meet all those requirements for me and it came with its own official hard wire kit and while the app is god awful, it seems to work nicely for me. 

[Shahpor]

When I picked up my new car, the dealer offered me a dashcam.  It is a NextBase 322GW.  Unfortunately, it appears to be faulty and needs to be returned.  However, another annoyance, which I am not sure if is intended is that every time my Stop-Start system activates it resets the camera.

The solution is obviously to hardwire it, but when I enquired about it I was told that Kia UK doesn't allow dealers to do it since it might invalidate the car's warranty if something goes wrong in the future.

Anyone else had any experience of this I wonder? 

[Herbie]

2 hours ago, McShmoopy said:

Haha yeah that I know but I didnt want to hard wire one of those cheapo Chinese cameras to my car incase something were to happen to it and mess up my cars fuse box.

That could still happen, even to a pricey Road Angel.

2 hours ago, McShmoopy said:

Plus I found with alot of the cheaper dash cams they had those ugly screens which made it quite distracting

By law, a dashcam screen that is visible to the driver must automatically blank out within three minutes and stay off while the vehicle is in motion, purely to avoid that very situation.

2 hours ago, McShmoopy said:

The road angel while pricey seemed to meet all those requirements for me and it came with its own official hard wire kit

Most dashcam manufacturers also produce dedicated hardwire kits although some, like my Viofo one, cost a few quid extra. Third-party ones are also perfectly good.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that you shouldn't have bought a Road Angel; it's your money and your choice. I'm just wondering who you're trying to convince that the (much) higher price was worth it

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, Shahpor said:

The solution is obviously to hardwire it, but when I enquired about it I was told that Kia UK doesn't allow dealers to do it since it might invalidate the car's warranty if something goes wrong in the future.

I'd email Kia UK to confirm or deny this (in writing) as it surely just cannot be right? It sounds absolute rubbish to me.

[Harrier Man]

Okay you cruel lot, thanks for all your replies and scarring the bejesus out of me! 😉

You've convinced me and I've just ordered myself a dash cam.