Don’t have a dash cam? They’re not a bad idea
The footage could come in handy after a crash or other roadway incident
The prevalence of dash cams really came to light when a meteor struck Russia near Chelyabinsk in February of 2013. Almost instantly, the world had hundreds of shaky, scary video clips taken from dash cams, which prompted the obvious question about meteors: Why do so many Russians have dash cams?
NOVA, in a video and transcript, featured scientists from around the world calling the numerous civilian recordings a first — and boon — to science. In an instant, they had detailed information about a sudden, huge, unique event.
The rest of the world quickly discovered that dash cams are ubiquitous in Russia, because people are lousy drivers and many of the police are allegedly corrupt. Russians had dash cams because it was the only way to prove their innocence in the event of a collision or arrest.
I don’t have a dash cam, but a lot of readers ask if they should get one. Dash cams are easy to operate and the information they record is easy to download and save.
Debbie Arnold is a manager with Sound Insurance Services. As a broker, she sees it all.
“Dash cams are very useful in the settlement of a claim,” she says. “We’ve had people send footage of bad driving that has caused accidents with some of our commercial clients (school bus) and carriers have reviewed footage for suspected fraud. I look forward to the day when dash cams are standard equipment in vehicles.”
Your camera may pay for itself many times over. It can be the witness when none will stick around, the witness that has no loyalty to anything but what it records. Insurance adjusters are pretty good at recreating the crime. It’s why they tell you to clear your busted vehicles out of live traffic when you can. Location of damage, paint transfers and weather conditions, among other things, speak volumes. If you know you were 100 per cent not at fault and have footage to prove it, an adjuster will listen.
While footage of something that results in a crash or injury can definitely form part of an official investigation — and even be a pivotal part — police are more concerned with people driving around looking for things to record. These are the Citizen’s Arrestors, as I call them. They soon finding ways to be outraged. This, police are not interested in.
If you suspect an impaired or dangerous driver on the highway, phone police. In Ontario, it’s *OPP. In other provinces, it’s 911. If your dash cam has caught an image of the offender, that’s good, but your job is not to follow the car. Tell police where you saw the driver, which direction they’re heading, and if possible, give a good description of the vehicle and plate.
So, should you get a dash cam? When someone who works in the heart of the insurance world wishes they were stock on every vehicle on the road, it’s worth noting. Also, it would stop people fumbling for their phones to take a picture while they’re driving, making them just as dangerous as some of the people they’re reporting. Some cameras also serve as babysitters when you’re not in your car, recording breakins or vandalism. Multiple incidents in the same area? Get a few cameras recording the events and you might get better results at finding a culprit.
And if you’re lucky, you might just record a meteor striking the earth.