Are Dashcams Worth Buying? Worth The Investment?

Is It Worth Buying a Dash Cam?

Dash cams are all the rage at the moment, but are they really worth the money? The relatively cheap price of dash cams could explain the willingness of the masses to jump on board and, although they are not the magic cure-all that some people make them out to be, they certainly do come with some significant benefits.

How Do They Work?

Dash cams are video recording devices which can be mounted onto your vehicle using a suction cup. They record a continual stream as you drive to allow you to capture any incidents that may occur on the road. Most dash cams will record on a continuous loop, meaning that old and uneventful footage will be recorded over when the memory card becomes full.

Why Do People Use Them?

The main reason that people use dash cams is as a precautionary measure in case of an incident whilst driving. In the event of a crash, accident or confrontation, the footage that can be captured using a dash cam can become valuable evidence as to who was at fault. This is useful in making and refuting insurance claims, and in catching perpetrators of incidents such as hit and runs.

Dash cams can be very useful as a means to prove that you were in the right in a road incident, and the footage can be used to catch perpetrators of an incident in case they get away. The footage may also be useful in proving that external factors caused an accident rather than careless driving on your part, which can be invaluable when seeking to maintain your no claims bonus, or even when being faced with criminal charges.

Dash cams have the advantage of ensuring that the users drive more carefully, as their own activity is also being recorded. They may also help to dissipate situations in which road users become aggressive, as they may be more willing to back down if they are made aware that their antics are being recorded. However, this is not generally considered to be the main purpose of a dash cam.

What Are the Downfalls?

One of the key problems with dash cams is that they generally do not act as a deterrent to accidents but rather a passive source of evidence. For this reason, the majority of insurance providers do not recognise them as a tool for safer driving and therefore don’t offer policy discounts for those who are using them.

Another issue is that although dash cams may be appropriate for recording the crash itself, they often fail to capture the environment surrounding the crash as they only face in one direction. For this reason, their footage is not always admissible as evidence in a claim case. As many dash cams record on a loop – taping over any footage on the memory card as soon as it becomes full – this can also be problematic as there is a chance they will record over essential evidence rendering them obsolete.

What Functions Should You Look Out For?

Some models have a built in accelerometer function, which allows them to sense when a collision may be about to occur and automatically save the preceding footage accordingly, eliminating the problem of losing footage due to the loop setting.

Another useful feature to look out for is GPS, which allows the device to determine driving speeds and the impact of a collision. This can be invaluable in an insurance claim case as it allows you to prove facts about the incident which are not normally available. Whereas many insurers look to the condition of a vehicle following a crash to ascertain the impact, this is not always representative as modern cars tend to withstand damage more readily. In such cases where the passenger experiences significant impact but the car remains generally intact, dash cam footage is a great way to demonstrate the true force of the crash.

Another useful but non-essential feature is an LCD screen, which is handy in case you want to watch and review footage on the move. This can allow you to quickly clear up confrontations on the spot and reduces the time-wasting that comes with another driving refusing to accept responsibility.

Whatever you do, you should certainly look out for a model with good video quality – full HD is recommended. After all, what use will the footage be if it is blurry or pixelated?

So, Are They Worth the Investment?

Dash cams do come with their advantages, but also a number of pitfalls. Whilst the average occasional road user is unlikely to reap the benefits of having a dash cam, those who use their vehicle daily for work or live in a heavy-traffic area such as a city or busy town centre may have more reason to invest in a dash cam.

Dash cams are one of those tricky devices that you never need until you do, and when you need it, it’s too late. If you like to err on the side of caution and have a particular distrust of other road users, then a dash cam could be the perfect purchase to provide you with the peace of mind you need. Whereas, if you lean towards the opinion that it’s not worth the hassle, then a dash cam probably isn’t for you.

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