Dashcams Are More Than Just Cool
We can use technology to enhance our safety. Gadgets like dashcams, surveillance cameras, vehicle trackers, smart locks and more can alert us to, or protect us from, possible danger.
Dashcam basics
Dashcams - dashboard cameras - are specifically designed to record events while a vehicle is in use.
They are generally easy to install, packed with multiple features and affordable, starting at just US$100 for a basic model.
Dashcams can provide reliable evidence for law enforcement, insurance claims and tall tales of usual road sightings.
“A dashcam is like a fire extinguisher. When you need it, you need it urgently. ”
Dashcam installation
While a dashcam can be professionally installed and hardwired to the vehicle battery, most can just as easily be installed by using the built-in suction cup or provided adhesive tape, a power cord to the 12V cigarette lighter' and an SD card.
Higher-capacity SD cards have more storage. Most dashcams, like surveillance cameras, continually record footage and then record over earlier footage once the SD card is full.
Some models allow you to access footage and camera settings on a smartphone app, while some can upload footage directly to the cloud.
Speaking of features, night vision, parking mode, GPS tracking and lane departure warnings are becoming as common as loop recording on newer dashcams.
Dashcam benefits
Local insurers highly recommend and often offer discounts for clients with dashcams. Insurers like dashcams because they help prevent fraud. The police like dashcams because they provide hard evidence. You may like dashcams because they can:
Lower your insurance premium
Encourage safe driving
Back up your claims, thereby reducing the hassle
Prove your innocence in an incident
Capture epic country drive footage
A dashcam is like a fire extinguisher. When you need it, you need it urgently.
Dashcam Privacy Concerns
On balance, the benefits seem compelling. But you should be aware of a few other facts. A dashcam can just as quickly reveal your guilt if you've done something wrong. You can be compelled to turn over footage by law enforcement or by court order.
While streets are in the public domain, privacy concerns still arise. Passengers have a reasonable expectation of privacy and shouldn't be recorded on audio or via a dual-facing camera (with both front and rear cameras) without their express permission.
