my cam
Black Box M1000 Rearview Mirror Dash Cam - Dual Camera Rotating Lenses & Full HD Car DVR Video Recorders - Wide Angle, G-Sensor, 60FPS, WDR Night Video & Motion Detection (16GB SD Included)
If a picture is worth a thousand words, video of the unbelievably stupid things you see on the road is priceless. But can dash cams actually help you out in a sticky situation? Here’s how to decide whether you should get one, as well as the skinny on dash cams in relation to insurance companies and U.S. law.
- 80-degree rotating 120-degree viewing angle high-resolution wide-angle lens
- 3.5-inch LCD screen allows a preview of what is being recorded
- Night vision for interior clips and shots; Built-in microphone / speaker function
- Supports up to 32GB high-capacity SD cards; TV and HDMI HD output. Loop recording allows old file to be replaced automatically with new files
- Manufacturer Warranty Included
A dash cam, or dashboard-mounted camera, is a device designed to record everything that happens when you drive. Think of it as a GoPro for your car. Dash cams can cost anywhere from $60 for low-end models to $150 for the cream of the crop. They consist of a single or double lens digital camera that mounts via a suction cup to your window or dashboard, powered through direct 12-volt wiring to your vehicle, batteries, or the cigarette lighter. As soon as you start your car, the camera records video directly to an SD card on a continuous loop, so it sees what you see as a driver. Some record sound, some can record in night vision, and some even have built-in GPS so you know where something was recorded.
Dash cams can capture those moments that would normally come down to your “version” of the story as a driver. Whatever the occurrence—a car cutting you off, someone jumping in front of your vehicle—the dash cam records it and saves it for later reference. They’re wildly popular in Russia because vehicle insurance fraud is so prevalent, but they’re gaining a lot of traction in the UK and the U.S. as well.
Dash cams can be pretty polarizing. Right now you’re either thinking of how useful they might be, or how unnecessary they are for most people. This all started with a passionate debate I had with a buddy of mine. He swears on them, saying he won’t drive his vehicle without one. I, on the other hand, have never felt the need for one and found them to be a little overkill. I decided to find out which one of us was right.
Dash Cams Won’t Get You Discounts on Your Insurance Not yet anyway...
Unfortunately, U.S. car insurance companies are slow to embrace the technology. You can’t get any dash cam discounts here in the states yet, and you may not be able to for a while, if ever.
U.S. auto insurance companies said about dash cams when we spoke with them. They don’t prevent accidents from happening, and currently there isn’t any evidence that points to dash cams making people better drivers, so why would there be a discount? As more people use them, however, additional data may sway things in dash cam owners’ favor in the future. Dash cam footage may also potentially reduce the time required to settle disputes and push insurance companies to eventually offer those sweet, sweet discounts.
Dash Cam Footage May Help With Insurance Claims or In Court
Dash cams aren’t completely useless when it comes to insurance, however. Some insurance companies may accept dash cam footage when trying to prove you’re not at fault in an accident. If your claim becomes a dispute, it’s always better to have more evidence than less.
Having footage of an accident doesn’t guarantee that it will be used,
they don’t always provide a clear picture of what happened in a car accident:
It’s just not so simple to decide who’s at fault at an intersection. I would say it’s very helpful, but it’s not conclusive evidence.
keep in mind
For the most part, using your dash cam to record video on public streets and parking lots—where you’re almost always driving—isn’t breaking any privacy laws. That’s only for video, however. If your dash cam also records audio in your car (or has a second lens recording the inside of your car), you need to inform the people you’re driving with about the recording or it can be considered wiretapping. Bambauer lays out the types of wiretapping laws you’ll find from state to state:
Some states have “all party” laws, where each participant in a conversation or other setting must consent to the recording. So, if you are in one of those states, and you’re recording with your dash cam while your friend is in the passenger’s seat, you need her permission to make the recording. If you don’t obtain it, you could face a civil suit (assuming your friend gets mad enough to file one) or criminal prosecution. In “one party” states, any participant can consent to recording, so as long as you consent (which you likely do, since you’re running the dash cam), you’re safe from liability. And, if your dash cam is running while you’re not in the car, you might run into problems even in one party states, since it could record interactions to which you are not a party.