Dashboard cameras or dashcams have gone from relatively rare and expensive pieces of technology to common sights in passenger vehicles in recent years. Many commercial transportation companies use dashcams to reduce their liability in the event of a crash and to help ensure better performance from their drivers. Those who drive for a living aren’t the only ones who benefit from installing dashcams.
Thousands of people every month decide to install dashcams in their vehicles, often with the goal of protecting themselves.
Dashcams offer two forms of protection for drivers
The presence of a dashcam can serve as a deterrent to criminal activity. Those committing property crimes don’t want to risk someone having video footage of their offense, while those contemplating a violent act, like a carjacking, may not want to target a vehicle recording their behavior.
The second and more universal protection is the creation of conclusive evidence regarding who is to blame for a car crash.
Is the investment in a dashcam worthwhile?
You can potentially purchase a camera that provides constant monitoring and that even analyzes the action of other vehicles in the video that it records for only a few hundred dollars. The footage captured by such cameras could prove invaluable after a crash.
While you might expect other drivers to admit when they are to blame, many people will lie to the police or to the insurance companies following a crash so that they don’t have to pay for the damages and injuries they caused. A dashcam in your vehicle can help you conclusively show exactly what happened during the collision and that you were not the one who caused the wreck.
Dashcams could help with insurance costs too. Depending on the market and the companies you consider for insurance coverage, you may qualify for a discounted insurance premium if you have a compliant dashcam installed in your vehicle. Even if the insurance company does not provide you with a direct discount, the reduced likelihood of an incorrect designation of fault after a crash will help keep your premiums low in the future.
Learning more about technology that can protect you from personal liability or delayed claim payouts can help you in the event that you ever experience a major motor vehicle collision.