I am considering buying a dash cam and was wondering if there are significant advantages to the more expensive ones. The main reason for buying it would be to have evidence in the event of an accident. D2 was hit by a car whose driver ran a red light. He disputed it, there were no witnesses, and fault cannot be determined. D2’s insurance went up significantly. I’d like to avoid any future incidents such as that one.
@Nrdsb4 I’ve looked at them and from different reviews I would probably spend a little more than the cheap ones. Although, i don’t know what you are considering cheap. The ones I’ve looked at range from $99 to $150. Haven’t bought one yet but have certainly thought about them. I think you want to look at the features as well. What is the degree of view. If its too narrow then you might miss some of what you are trying to capture. Also, what about night time driving, memory, power source, mounts, video quality, etc.
I probably would check out a few models and then read reviews and see if you can find any Youtube video’s about the product to get a better feel.
They can be very useful. But it goes without saying that it is a two-way street – yes they can help you but they can also be used against you when you are at fault.
We had exactly this type of incident recently. We were hit by a red light runner who has not accept responsibility. Our insurance companies are still ‘negotiating’ and I’ve wondered if a dash cam would have helped. We had witnesses but the insurance company has not asked to speak to them since eyewitnesses are unreliable (they could be our friends for all they know). Our company told us that our rates would not go up, we’ll see. This camera was recommended to me and the images are very good, also has night vision:
https://www.amazon.com/Street-Guardian-SG9665GC-Supercapacitor-DashCam/dp/B00U0OJMYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474858765&sr=8-1&keywords=Pier%2028%20dash%20cam
I want to get one…
I thought about this one
https://www.zoro.com/uniden-dash-cam-recorder-2-in-screen-dc2/i/G4595757/
Blackvue DR650 is popular on a car forum I follow, supposed to have good quality video at night. Also Transcend DrivePro seems popular at a much lower price point.
I want one too, but can’t decide if it’s a net positive or negative for me LOL.
Here’s a link to some reviews of dashcams:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/best-dash-cams/
My BIL was using his GoPro on his motorcycle when a girl in a car made a right turn from the left turn lane. He ran into her. She said he was trying to pass her on the right, he showed the insurance company the footage. He won the argument. Before he showed the footage, she had eyewitnesses back up her claim that he was riding in an unsafe manner…
I have a dash cam from several years ago but I don’t use it regularly. I should. The problem is that I would have to remove it and hide it when I’m done driving and reattach it and plug it in when I get in to drive. Seems petty but the thing has a really long cord that hangs down and gets tangled easily. See if you can find one that is more user friendly.
I’m also not very tech savvy and it would be interesting to see if I could remove the chip and ever replay anything or load it into my computer!
Yes. When I bought my car here (in Asia) the dealer threw one in gratis. I’m glad I have it.
As I mentioned up thread, we were T-boned at an intersection by a red light runner. Not only did she not accept responsibility, her insurance company sent a threatening letter accusing us of running the red light. I was so incensed I called a few apartment complexes adjacent to the intersection to inquire about security camera footage. Miraculously one of the property managers called me back to say the whole accident was recorded by one of their cameras and she sent me the clip. I forwarded it to our insurer who sent it along to the other company. Within two days they accepted all liability, meaning we’ll get the full amount for a replacement vehicle with no deductible subtracted and our insurance company will also be reimbursed. We’re going to start car shopping soon so I’ll inquire about camera options.
^^^ I’d also have turned the footage over to the police so she could be ticketed accordingly. The other driver trying to accuse you of their own illegal behavior almost requires they properly face up to the consequences of their actions.
I installed the Nexar app on my iPhone, and use it every morning.
I travel a busy highway, and see a lot of crazy stuff.
my brother this weekend got hit by a red light runner. guy behind red light runner had go pro and gave the video to cops and another driver chased down the car (hit and run) and took photos of the license plate and driver. the go pro 100% shows the other person just drove straight threw a red light and into the intersection with a red light…hit my brother and kept going…
nobody was hurt in my brothers car and 2 strangers going out of their way to get involved was nice. cops were heading to the address of the hit and run driver.
I say get a go pro.
Wow–lots of dishonest folks out there. I have fortunately not had such experiences so far. H’s buddy bought a dashcam. We haven’t yet.
If/when you get it, will you post YouTube vids please? Like, “Look at the motorcycle doing 120 mph. Let’s see if we can keep up.” 
I got this one for Christmas and have had it installed for about a week https://www.amazon.com/Goluk-Wi-Fi-1080P-Vision-G-sensor/dp/B01EY1JIUI. It has no camera monitor so is very unobtrusive, the video is stored and transferred by wi-fi to the app on a phone. You can either download whole loops, about 24 hours worth, or use a small remote control button to capture 12 second clips for immediate transfer to the phone. I haven’t explored all the possibilities, but so far am very happy with it. The wide angle lens causes some distortion but also lets you capture the whole view from the front windshield. The biggest inconvenience is running the cable from the camera attached to the rear view mirror to the outlet under the dash. They provide a very long cable and some cheap adhesive clips but I’ll probably use a glue gun to fix the cable more permanently. I’m going to start recording the red light runners to send to our local police department and city council just to emphasize the extent of the problem. They removed red light cameras several years ago and it’s the wild west now, at least 3 cars through every red light.