If you’re lucky, you’ve probably never been in a serious road accident, or even one in which the driver (you or otherwise) has found it difficult to recall what was in front or behind them on the road. This is where a dash cam would have come in very handy; specifically, for the settling of insurance disputes and claims.

In short, dash cams are quickly establishing themselves as one of the most useful bits of in-car technology kit available to buy. Yes, you may well be thoroughly careful and cautious behind the wheel, but the cliché’s a cliché for a reason – accidents can happen. And an installed dash cam could prove critical in resolving a claim fairly; without objective evidence.

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So, what is a dash cam?

Simply put, it’s an in-car camera system that records any vehicle journey via video and audio. Indeed, many insurance companies have woken up to the device’s capabilities and, thus, its reliability by accepting the evidence that can be procured from one in the event of road accidents. Some of the devices even now feature a parking mode; ideal, for instance, should your wing mirror get damaged or knocked off while your car’s parked – and the perpetrator doesn’t own up to what they’ve done via leaving a note.

At present, you’ll find three types of dash cam on the market:

  • Front view– very affordable and great for tracking traffic ahead

 

  • Front and back view– most accidents are, mercifully, low-speed events and rear-end collisions, which may be reason enough to purchase a dash cam with the capacity to see behind your vehicle as well as in front of it

 

  • Cabin view– useful for those who share a vehicle or drive a vehicle owned by someone else (i.e. a taxi); for whom good driving habits are important.

 

The statistics speak for themselves

No question about it; dash cams are becoming an increasingly popular type of tracking systems installation throughout the UK (think of how often their footage crops up on TV news and on the Internet and social media). Not just the authorities then, but ordinary drivers up and down the country rate their usefulness very highly. Indeed, over the last few years, research conducted by the AA has found that dash cam ownership in Britain has leapt from just one percent to 15 percent; a staggering increase when you stop and think about it. Moreover, it’s worth pointing out that some dash cams are even fitted with GPS, which ensures emergency services find it easier – and, therefore, quicker – to track you down and reach you, should your vehicle break down.

The bottom line

Ultimately though, dash cams’ effectiveness comes down most often to insurance claims for road accidents. Like or not, most incidents of this kind aren’t clear-cut. It’s often one person’s word against another’s, ensuring it’s difficult to establish where culpability lies. Thus, viewable footage recorded on a dash cam (especially with additional, relevant audio) can be a godsend in resolving a dispute quickly and in as hassle-free a manner as possible for all parties. And, of course, in some cases – should you be the driver involved in such an accident – dash cam footage may even see you reimbursed owing to a wrongly resolved dispute. And, in time, it’s highly possible too that a proliferation of dash cams could lead to lower insurance premiums and act as a deterrent to both vehicle theft and insurance fraud. One can only hope!