The Rise of the Dash Cam

Drivers have been using cameras mounted to their dash for years, but usually as an aid to showing their friends just how spectacular their driving is, it was only really as technology allowed for the miniaturisation of cameras that dash cams found a true home. 

It’s estimated that over 1,000,000 drivers in the UK now use a dash cam regularly, and with them being available from £30 upwards, you’d have to say that it makes a great deal of sense. 

Crash for Cash

Most of you will have seen the videos of scammers trying to cause an accident deliberately – slamming their brakes on in a bid to get the person behind them to crash in to the rear of them, or worse still, the video of the guy with a scooter, pushing the scooter at running speed into the nose of a car before jumping on to the bonnet, spread-eagled and shouting in pain. 

It’s funny to watch, even more so when the driver points to the dash cam, but what happens to you if you don’t have that security? You’re facing a potential court case, fine, points and of course, the loss of your NCB, which leads to your insurance premium rocketing. 

Official Recognition

Thankfully, insurance companies and the Police are now accepting dash cam footage to prove liability, or scam, this has led to sales of the dash cams increasing by 918% over the last couple of years, and some insurers are offering discounts to anyone with a permanent fitting of one, as much as 20% off the annual policy. 

Whilst it seems that owning a dash cam will bring an overall benefit to motorists, you should also know that the Welsh Police are also using footage to prosecute motorists – this could be you being caught on someone else’s camera, or on your own, so if you like to ‘make progress’, you should consider the implications.  

Dashcam Sales 

Nextbase are the number one camera manufacturer in the UK, their sales account for 83.7% of all cameras sold – 20x higher than the next manufacturer, the Director of Nextbase, Richard Browning states “With so many split liability and fraudulent insurance claims it's no wonder people are turning to dash cams to help prove their innocence in an accident situation. Not only does a dash cam give you peace of mind in a stressful situation like a crash, it can also help safeguard your insurance premium”. 

If you’re looking for a dash cam, there are a number of features that you should look for, most of all, a hi-def resolution – having camera footage of a blurry mass without being able to see detail (like the registration number for example) won’t help you. 

Some camera systems offer a rear-view camera alongside the front facing one, most now have a wide-angle (approx. 170^o) screen, and some do location or geotagging. Of course, further options exist – speed, ‘G’ readings (in the event of an impact) and larger storage, meaning longer footage clips before rewriting over the top. 

Future Proof

There’s talk that some car manufacturers will start fitting cameras as standard, just as we now find satnav systems fitted, and while it could add a few pounds to the list price of a new model, it could pay for itself with one fraudulent claim (or the lack of). 

In the meantime, fitting a camera takes just five minutes, some run on battery power (no messy leads to get tangled up), but it’s worth getting one that plugs into the cigar lighter of your vehicle, just so you have peace of mind that it’s always on. 

Even if you’re lucky enough to never need it, a dash cam is a worthwhile investment as far as we’re concerned, besides, if you manage to capture something good, you could probably sell the footage to the makers of ITV’s Car Crash Britain for a few pounds, or better yet, upload it to YouTube to give us all a giggle!

Speaking of investments, a cherished number plate adds a great finishing touch to any vehicle, and should only ever increase in value, if you’d like to find out more, talk to one of our professional team or search through the site.