What do you think about dash cameras?

[Zachary Hoyt]

I've been thinking a little bit about whether a dash cam would be a good idea. In my new life up here I seem to be driving about 8,000 miles a year, or a little less than the average American driver. Last July 3rd a hit-and-run driver ran into the back of my trailer at a traffic light and while I was lucky enough to see his license plate and write it down it made me wonder if I should get a camera. I was in the middle of the house repair/moving process and decided it was something to think about later. Now it is later, time being what it seems to be. My driving record is clean, with no tickets or points, so my insurance is fairly low and I'd like to keep it that way. I'll be grateful to hear any advice about whether to get one and if so what kind, or any experiences with them that you may have had.

[Ted Calver]

I have one on each vehicle and wouldn't be without them. Hit and runs are becoming more common as insurance rates go up and if you have evidence in hand it gives the police and insurance companies something to work with. They make three channel cams that take front/back and interior. Good ones are pricey, but having that evidence for just one incident would pay for it....assuming you are not the one at fault. We are older drivers and feel that being able to point to a video makes it less likely that someone else would point the finger at us "little old grey haired people" as being the cause of an incident. Look for BlackboxMyCar Dash Cams | North America on YouTube. No affiliation, but I did buy my last cam from and got excellent service.

[Bill Dufour]

Would a dash cam see the trailer hit from behind? Or do you need another cam for a trailer. They make wireless back up cams probably recording too.
Bill D

[Mike Henderson]

Tesla cars record video from all the cameras on the car, and save it if the car detects a jolt. Of course, that's a two edged sword. The insurance companies involved have access to the video and can use it to decide who was at fault. And, no, you can't erase it. It goes up to the cloud.

At least that's my understanding of how it works.

I think cameras all around the car is a good idea.

Mike

[Alan Rutherford]

I've used a cheap dash camera for a while and I think a good installation of good cameras would be great. IMO you need 2 cameras to get good coverage of the front, more if you want the back. Wiring can be messy. Placing the cameras where they have a good view and don't block yours can be difficult. Almost any camera can record vehicles but if you need to read a license plate - that's challenging. Any camera might be better than none, but I was disappointed to realize how much more expense and effort it was going to take to do it right.

[Dave Zellers]

Tesla cars record video from all the cameras on the car, and save it if the car detects a jolt.

So as I'm reading Ted's response, I'm thinking we already have cameras all around the car, why can't they be used? And then I get to your post. It makes perfect sense. I'll bet more carmakers will adapt this.

To the OP, I'd say yes, get one. Or two, front and back.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you all for your insights. You've given me more to think about. My car is a 2013 Subaru Outback with no cameras (to my knowledge) installed. I plan to keep it for at least a couple more years if all goes well. In the case of the trailer collision a front mounted dash cam might have caught the license plate if the image was sharp enough since I was hit while sitting in the left turn lane and the driver pulled into the straight ahead lane to make his getaway. I don't think a rear mounted camera would have worked as the trailer gate would have blocked the view, at least initially. Of course whatever happens next will almost certainly be different, so my analysis of my last problem is not necessarily relevant.

It had been 13-1/2 years since my last traffic incident, which was a driver who failed to yield at a stop sign and pulled out onto the main road into the front of the car I was driving. He was not able to run if he'd wanted to, and my car was declared totaled, since it was 10 years old at the time. He said he had not been able to see me because it was snowing and he was driving a white pickup.

[Brian Runau]

We're thinking about it, but can't figure out what we need. Front and rear cameras, but what level of camera quality to get plate numbers. Brian

[Jack Frederick]

I’m amazed that the insurance industry hasn’t gotten it passed as mandatory equipment. Of course then there is the Trail Lawyers Assoc who would loose work. Thanks for the lead, Ted.

[mike calabrese]

I have one similar to this one the heart burn and headaches it can save you in an accident situation is worth the $40.00 price . You can spend way more but a video is a video you are not shooting 5K for Hollywood
https://www.amazon.com/SPADE-Waterproof-Dashboard-G-Sensor-Recording/dp/B0B2J5MD7N/ref=sr_1_9?crid=D95MF1L8O73A&keywords=Dash+Cam+for+Car+Front+Rear&qid=1687142229&sprefix=dash+cam+for+car+front+rear%2Caps%2C234&sr=8-9
calabrese55

[Stan Calow]

Yes get one. And one for the rear as well. Heck, I'm thinking about getting a body camera, for all the nuts out there.


And think about where and how you will mount it. I had two that were held on by adhesive to the windshield and both came off - one in hot weather and one in cold.
It is really hard to sort through all the info on features and recommendations.

[Warren Lake]

in the 20 years ive had the truck there was only one day I had to park it on the road as the city was doing the sidewalk at my parents home and I was there working on the property. Saw some stuff on the ground in front of the truck leaving late in the dark checked the truck and seemed fine but days later realized it was hit. Figured neighbours wife across the road backed into it. They denied it but its 98 percent. Months later his wife back into the neighbours car as she was backing out of the driveway. guess it wasnt enough to just hit my truck. Cameras seem like a good idea, id need to be able to transfer or have more than one.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Call me schitzo or paranoid if you want - but - having so many cameras recording so much of what goes on in the world is more than a bit creepy to me.

[Jim Becker]

So as I'm reading Ted's response, I'm thinking we already have cameras all around the car, why can't they be used? And then I get to your post. It makes perfect sense. I'll bet more carmakers will adapt this.
In general, while some vehicles have 360º camera systems...the Tesla is one example and the MY23 Subaru Ascent Touring I have on order is another...there's not necessarily an interface for one to record that material in the same way that a dash cam does. I can only speak for the Subaru situation, but the Eyesight safety system actually does save a short recording should there be an accident, but the "vehicle owner" cannot directly access that information. It has to be requested via a legal process from the manufacturer. I will say that in a parallel discussion to this one at the AscentForum, folks have expressed interest in vehicle manufacturers permitting some kind of recording by the vehicle owner so that they don't have to buy and employe third party dash cam setups, especially when many vehicles have so many cameras available for real-time use.

OP, I don't own or use a dashcam, but many folks do find them valuable for their own purposes. My opinion is that if you do this, invest in a good system and absolutely consider at least front/back so you can capture events from both directions.

[Brian Elfert]

A couple I know from another forum had someone presumably fall asleep and hit them head on in their converted bus. The other driver was killed and their bus was totaled. They had a dashcam so they were able to prove it was 100% not their fault. They probably would not have had any issue with law enforcement or insurance without the camera, but every little bit helps.

[Stan Calow]

The way I see it, is that we generally can assume people will lie, so that eyewitness testimony is no longer credible enough, if you can even get someone to testify. So video proof is becoming expected as a way to determine culpability. Kind of like the CSI-effect in criminal cases: where juries expect there to be DNA evidence in every case.

I too am leery of too much surveillance out there, but on the other hand, if my kid was missing or my neighbor murdered, I would absolutely want the police to be able to check CCTV footage all over to find them. I think that's how they identified the Boston marathon bombers, as I recall.

[Mike Null]

We just bought a new car for my wife with a rear view camera. In her case I bought this as a backing aid because she cannot and will not use the mirrors. I am very impressed with it and wish I had one. I believe it's part of the warning system that stops the car in case you are backing into traffic.

I don't believe it records anything but I will check on that. It's a VW in case anybody has knowledge of it.

[roger wiegand]

I've never had one on purpose, though my Tesla now comes with some capability in that regard. If the airbags go off or when you blow the horn it saves a short clip of the previous minute or so. The video is stored to a thumb drive in the glove compartment, not, to my knowledge, uploaded unless you ask it to be. There' s a sentry mode that records a lot more, but I keep it turned off. I've never actually tried it to see if it works and what it records.

Insurance here is all no-fault, you get dinged no matter what. You only get a serious ding if the police charge you with something in the accident. I, knock wood, only have an accident once every couple of decades, so it all hardly seems worthwhile.

[Jim Becker]

Backup cameras are nearly standard equipment these days, Mike. They were originally supposed to be on every new vehicle starting in 2011, but the regulation got, um...well...deferred. Backup cameras do not generally record anything and are not even active in a useful way unless the vehicle is in reverse. They are also extremely wide angle and meant for slow backing so one can also catch cross traffic in addition to things immediately behind you. Some vehicles like the one I drive have a video rear mirror which has a different field of view and essentially replaces in function the traditional middle rear view mirror when one uses the feature. (I love it) It's not attached to anything other than the mirror screen so no recording there, either. Increasingly and mostly with higher trim vehicles, there are 360º view mirrors that "super size" the same benefits of the backup cameras but with an all around view on the center console. These might have the potential for recording since they get to the head unit, but unless the manufacturer provides that ability...no recording. Finally, some vehicles (such as Subaru) use a camera based safety system. Those do have recording capability but it's short duration only and as I noted above, requires a legal process for the end user to get access. All of that is why folks buy third party dash cam setups with one, two or three cameras depending on the make, model and desired functionality/view.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

My wife was involved in a major "bump" a few years ago, and the 3rd party who surrendered his dash cam footage to the police got the offending driver (not my wife) off the road.

[Mike Null]

Jim

After I posted my comment I realized that the camera only works when the car is in reverse. My wife is not good about using her mirrors and she and another careless older lady had a minor but scary event where my wife backed into her and she fell. there was mutual blame but I believe my wife was at fault. Fortunately the lady wasn't injured but I made sure to get the camera feature on the new car.

[Jim Becker]

Mike, it's scenarios like that which were the impetus for trying to mandate backup cameras to begin with...folks (especially kids) getting whacked when a vehicle backs up and they are not visible in mirrors. Today's backup cameras are so good that you almost don't need to use the side mirrors because of the great video quality and wide angle. Many vehicles also have rear cross path detectors that audibly warn of an obstruction, including people.