Dashboard cameras, or dash-cams as they’re more commonly known, have grown massively in popularity over the past few years. The idea of being able to record what’s happening on the road, along with what’s going on inside the car, has certainly captured the imagination of the public.
There are plenty of great uses for these cameras – from the fun factor of carpool karaoke to serious subjects like taxi drivers being able to refer to them when passengers try to run away from paying their fares.
Let’s explore 5 of the top reasons why you should seriously consider investing in a dash-cam:
1. They are becoming increasingly useful for insurance claims
Car crashes can range from a minor inconvenience to a serious tragedy. In some cases they are complete accidents, however usually blame is apportionable. Should the other party be at fault but are claiming otherwise, you can often use your dashboard camera recordings as evidence. This can seriously help you with insurance claims and court cases.
2. Long term, they might help bring our expensive insurance premiums down!
Due to fraudsters on the road coming up with unscrupulous ‘crash for cash’ scams including disabling their brake lights, flashing cars to let them out at a junction and then crashing into them, and even staging accidents with false witnesses, insurance premiums are at an all time high. Some insurers are already offering discounts for people that install dash-cams in their car. The more people that have them installed, the less risk insurers have of paying out on fraudulent claims. The knock-on effect of this could well be cheaper premiums for blameless drivers, in the future.
3. You can record entire road-trips
If you’re driving through a particularly beautiful part of the world, wouldn’t it be great to see what you missed whilst you were concentrating on driving? If your friends or family have a massive sing-a-long or you have a particularly enjoyable bit of banter whilst out on the road, wouldn’t it be fun to revisit the moment and enjoy it again and again? Dashboard cameras can help you keep these magic moments and, if you use one with an SD card, you can even edit them yourself or have them professionally edited, turning them into a proper piece of video and a keepsake to be treasured.
4. It can be an additional security measure when you’re parked up
Leave your camera running when you park up and go into a shop and you suddenly have yourself another form of security, should your car get broken into or vandalised. You can also use your recordings as part of your evidence if you’re the victim of an incorrect parking ticket, or if someone hits your car and drives away while you’re not in it.
5. Dash-cams promote safer driving
If you have a dashboard camera, you will want to drive more safely. You can even use the footage to help you improve as a driver or look at where you’ve gone wrong. More and more driving instructors are using dash-cams to help their students get through their driving tests. There’s no reason why experienced drivers can’t carry on learning and benefit from similar exercises. If you’re a safer driver, you’ll be less at risk of accidents, speeding tickets and general recklessness. Buying a dashboard camera could be a great way of helping you to enjoy your driving even more.
