1. What is a car dash-board camera?
  2. Why buy a car dash camera?
  3. What is the “Crash for Cash” scam and how can installing a car dash cam protect me?
  4. How and where to mount your car dash camera.
  5. Can I save money on my car Insurance?
  6. Do I really need a car dash camera?


What is a car dash-board camera? 

A Car Dash Board Camera (often referred to as a dash-cam) is a very useful and important piece of equipment, that will help you establish blame and culpability in the case of an accident that wasn’t your fault. As well as being a device to record memorable journeys and track-days etc. It is a camera that mounts to either your dashboard or your windscreen and records footage of the road (either ahead, or ahead and behind, if you have a dual two-camera setup).

Dash-cams are unique from normal cameras as the best of them have the following special features:

  • Loop Recording  the camera records continuously, so once the video memory card is full, the camera ‘Loops’ back to the start and records over previous footage, without stopping or the need to change the video card.  Typically a 16GB card will record about two hours of journey time – before it ‘loops’ back to over-write the previous footage. 32Gb will record around 4 hours and so on.
  • Motion Detection – When the car is stationary in a car park the dash-cam will automatically record any major movement around the car (in the field of sensor) so any accidental damage, parking collision, attempt to vandalise or steal the car can be recorded for future reference by you, your insurance company or the appropriate authorities.
  • G-Sensor this function automatically creates a ‘Lock’ around video footage where an accident has occurred, or any suden of severe movement such as an evasive braking or swerving of the car.  This enables you to effect a successful prosecution, establish your innocence and defend yourself in a court of law, protect your insurance and no claims bonus, and assist the police if false statements or declarations have been made by the other party(ies) involved in a collision (it happens – many people will try and avoid liability and prosecution at all costs!).

Why buy a car dash camera?

  • Protect your no-claims bonus and reduce insurance premiums – many insurance claims are not settled fairly, as the details of the accident are very hard to prove, and in most circumstances neither party wishes to accept responsibility for the accident.  Police are very often unable to provide conclusive proof of fault and most accidents like this result in both drivers losing their no-claims bonus.  Having a car camera that records the full facts of the incident, greatly assists the police in establishing who was at fault, and provides the insurance companies (both yours and the other parties) with clear evidence of the events surrounding the collision. This evidence will help you protect your no-claims bonus, ensuring your insurance premiums do not rise as a result of the accident.
  • Faster insurance claims processing having video evidence of any accident will greatly speed up the claims process, as the inevitable completion of forms and diagrams, and each differing versions of events and what actually happened, will be supported and confirmed by accurate video footage of the accident taking place – therefore removing any doubt or ‘Adaption of the Truth’ by the other driver(s).
  • Unattended damage to your vehicle we’ve all either suffered, seen or heard of damage caused to cars that are parked, where the offending driver simply drives away, without leaving any details behind.  Dashcams with G-Sensor technology will record the direct aftermath of the collision – and can be used later on to establish a claim against the vehicle or driver who caused the damage to your car, whilst you weren’t there.

What is the “Crash for Cash” scam and how can installing a car dash cam protect me?

  • Organised Criminal Activity  The ‘Crash for Cash’ scam is prevalent along lots of organised criminal gangs – they target drivers by often pulling  sharply in front of them and slamming on the brakes, which causes an unavoidable collision.  They then attempt to accuse the driver of negligence by driving to close causing a failure to stop in time, and claim a large settlement from their insurance company.  This is very hard, if not almost possible to refute, UNLESS you have video footage of the other drivers car performing the illegal and dangerous manoeuvre, in front of your vehicle.  So protect yourself and at the very least get a forward facing dash cam.
  • Non-Criminal Accident – Conversely, should you be unlucky enough to suffer a rear-end collision from another driver, having car dash cam footage will greatly assist you in securing any damages or compensation that you should be due, without a long and expensive court-case.

How and where to mount your car dash camera.

  • Front Facing Car Dash Camera for front facing car dash cams the positioning of the camera will largely depend on which type of mount the camera comes with.  Most dash cameras have sucker-pad style fixings – allowing you to securely fit to your windscreen.  You should mount the camera so that it has a clear view of the road, does not encumber your access to any of the cars controls, and does not obscure your vision.
  • Rear Facing Car Camera – more often found in addition to the front facing camera, and primarily amongst auto-sports fans – the rear-facing car cam offers near-universal coverage of the road-environment.  With the low cost of such cameras nowadays it may well be worth considering for such situations as reporting of aggressive tail-gating (Road-Rage), or in the case of a rear-end collision (especially where the driver behind has been distracted in some way and is not paying full attention to the car in front!).

Can I save money on my car Insurance?

  • Depends on your insurance company besides the obvious savings of your no-claims bonus in case of an accident that wasn’t your fault, many insurance companies nowadays will offer discounts for drivers who use car dash cams, as settling claims becomes much quicker and easy for them.  Check when you next renew your insurance, to see if your insurance provider offers a discount.  If they do not then try shopping around, some savings can be quite substantial.

So….. Do I Really Need a Car Dash Camera?

Ultimately, the relatively small cost of a Car Dash Cam, when compared to the value of the vehicle being driven, and the inevitable array of benefits it brings, should answer the question ‘Should I buy a Car Cam?’.  We hope you will never need it, but if you do, it could be one of the best purchases you ever make.