Dashcams

[Simon]

OK, so I'm going to be one of 'them'. Not so that I can upload adenoidally voiced videos to YouFace of someone pulling out on a roundabout, but just in case I'm unfortunate enough to be in an another accident.

My accident nearly 3 years ago was fortuitous in a few ways. Firstly it wrote the car off and I got much more in a payout than I'd ever have got in a sale. Then because it was big enough to close the road for a few hours, the police attended and dealt with it all. I was able to give the police 'reference' number to the insurance company, who backed up my version of events and made it clear where fault lay. If I was unlucky enough to be involved in a minor knock then I don't want any arguments over fault over the true version of events. So camera it is.

So, who's got what and what's good?

[drcarlos]

Watching this one, after this mornings incident where the bloke in the Merc didn't see me behind a van and decided to pull out to overtake into my path, then brake check me and get abusive. I guess I should have something like this in case there is an accident or anything else where dashcam evidence might be useful. Not sure if something from Ali express will cut it or if something with a brand is better.

Carl.

[JLv3.0]

Genuine question - if you are involved in an accident, would the police nab the memory card out of the dashcam? i.e. what if you are in an accident that wasn't your fault, but were driving like an arsehole 30 mins prior?

[Mito Man]

You can usually make them just record in a 5 minute loop which would be more than enough.

[Simon]

JL, I think there was a recent case where that happened. Someone's dashcam was used to do them for speeding some time before the reported incident. Whether that happens commonly I don't know, but I'm not overly concerned because I don't drive like a nob on the whole...

In a minor event I know dashcams 'log' the last 30 seconds or so of driving. Otherwise stuff just gets overwritten on a loop. In a minor event I'll make sure I have the memory card to hand for my own insurance evidence. In a serious enough accident that I'm unconscious and the police get there first then I'll have other things to worry about than whether I was speeding 30 minutes before.

[ste]

Genuine question - if you are involved in an accident, would the police nab the memory card out of the dashcam? i.e. what if you are in an accident that wasn't your fault, but were driving like an arsehole 30 mins prior?

Pretty much why I haven't got one.

[JLv3.0]

And exactly why I'm not getting one.

[Simon]

Perhaps that a reason to stick a small card in there, so it doesn't store more than a few minutes.

For me I think the positives outweigh the negatives.

[McSwede]

Genuine question - if you are involved in an accident, would the police nab the memory card out of the dashcam? i.e. what if you are in an accident that wasn't your fault, but were driving like an arsehole 30 mins prior?

Pretty much why I haven't got one.

Ditto!!

[_andy]

I've got a Transcend one in the BMW, seems to work quite well and comes with a memory card in the box which they don't always. The mount was a bit on the large side so I bought a smaller 3D printed one off of eBay so it is tucked up in front of the rear view mirror.

I think the Yi ones are supposed to be good as well, but check the Techmoan YouTube channel and see what he recommends.

[240PP]

Daft as it sounds, what puts me off is having something stuck on the windscreen and a cable winding its way round the headlining/dash.

It can’t be long before the manufacturers start offering a properly integrated one on their options list.

[Barry]

Had a Nextbase in the car for couple years, i distrust other road users more than I worry about the risk associated with enthusiastic driving that may or may not be captured in the event of an accident.

Added benefit is it calms your driving down a little too, I still shout at the morons but I'm less likely to physically react now.

[speedingfine]

I put one in my missus's car but not mine as she does more mileage than me. Someone went into the back of her and she went into the back of the person in front. The
offending chap or his insurance co subsequently claimed that she'd hit the car in front first. We produced the video, no more bollocks. We also reported a woman who ran a red light and came within inches of hitting a child who was on the crossing. The police were pretty good at informing us about what happened and put her on a driving course. I think they're pretty good and really should get one myself as I don't speed much these days despite my moniker

Cam is a G1W, is very basic, but has all you need IMHO and it's cheap. Beware of fake ones.

[Orange Cola]

Blackvue here (although it’s currently not fitted to a car, because I changed my car and just never put it back in). It doesn’t have a screen so it fits behind the rear view mirror, run the cable through the headliner edge and it’s completely hidden. It’s also black and you can turn off the lights so it’s incredibly discreet. Pretty much everything is done via the app in your phone, it has a wide angle lens and works very well in the dark. It’s not the cheapest but it is the best IMO.

JL - you can turn off the “speed” logging on them, doesn’t stop a bored copper manually calculating the speed but there we go. In the UK 80% of insurance claims are from car parks so I bought my camera with a parking mode feature to protect from the cunts who rip your bumper off and drive away, those are the incidents which will likely cost you far more money than some pleb cutting you up on the roundabout.

[JLv3.0]

I bought my camera with a parking mode feature to protect from the cunts who rip your bumper off and drive away, those are the incidents which will likely cost you far more money than some pleb cutting you up on the roundabout.

Just the front bumper though Shirley?

I dunno - I just can't be bothered, I don't think. There's too much mayhem on the roads here to even start getting too upset about driving standards, as there are none.

[Jobbo]

Genuine question - if you are involved in an accident, would the police nab the memory card out of the dashcam? i.e. what if you are in an accident that wasn't your fault, but were driving like an arsehole 30 mins prior?

Pretty much why I haven't got one.

Ditto!!

Same here, though they do seem to be more common in other people's cars so we might still be caught on camera

[Orange Cola]

I bought my camera with a parking mode feature to protect from the cunts who rip your bumper off and drive away, those are the incidents which will likely cost you far more money than some pleb cutting you up on the roundabout.

Just the front bumper though Shirley?

I dunno - I just can't be bothered, I don't think. There's too much mayhem on the roads here to even start getting too upset about driving standards, as there are none.

Yes, I discard the trolley ding in the door footage

More seriously I usually reverse into spaces so it does get everything except a tree falling on it from behind. It’s not often you get a car into the side of yours in a car park but it is mainly people reversing out of a bay and straight into your car or driving across the front of it. My mum has had several people drive into her car in various car parks and each time it’s saved her having to fork out for the repairs herself.

[Orange Cola]

Pretty much why I haven't got one.

Ditto!!

Same here, though they do seem to be more common in other people's cars so we might still be caught on camera

I’m not sure why you would be worried? You can’t infer speed accurately enough from a third parties dash cam and I reckon you’re not the type to weave in and out of traffic, make dodgy over takes, cut people up, be abusive and pick fights etc.

Or are you trying to tell the class something?!

[NotoriousREV]

I’m not sure why you would be worried? You can’t infer speed accurately enough from a third parties dash cam and I reckon you’re not the type to weave in and out of traffic, make dodgy over takes, cut people up, be abusive and pick fights etc.

I feel personally attacked

[Shlergen]

After much deliberating I purchased a togaurd off amazon for 50 notes and nexbase hardwire kit.

Video and sound quality is ace, needs a small mod to gps unit so I can hardwire.

It’s small and discreet. If it wasn’t for central column around rear view mirror on focus it would be pretty hidden.