Dash Cam Confessional
There’s a new trend blowing up our social media these days. And while it definitely won’t dethrone the all-pervasive cat-meme, it’s about as entertaining as fail videos, only more rewarding. We’re talking about the advent of dash-cam videos.
Dashboard-mounted cameras are a thing. They are wide-angle cameras mounted inside a car that continuously record the front and read views. Usually high-definition with sound, and GPS, they’re proving to be a useful and protective tool for drivers.
Chances are, you’ve already seen footage of one whilst scrolling through your daily social media feed; intense police encounters, cars failing to yield to a stop sign and causing an accident, motorcycles calling out distracted drivers for failing to shoulder check and nearly hitting them.
And while some are calling into question their legality (privacy is obviously a concern), others are calling them a very obvious way to improve the safety of our roads. record/distracting.
You may never use it. No one gets into the car thinking they’re going to get into an accident – until they do. But when you have to, it could be a game changer.
The most obvious reason for equipping your vehicle with a dash cam is for assistance should you find yourself in a car accident. When it comes to fender benders, having a witness can make or break your claim. But trying to get that witness to come forward? It’s a hassle. And most people usually tend not to stick around, adopting the kind of “not my problem” attitude that makes us all question our faith in humanity.
Not with a dash cam.
Unlike regular cameras or smartphones, a dash cam is a protective device. Your dash cam is your witness and will protect you, not just with not-at-fault accidents, but as we progress into a future tech-infused society, it will change how we all drive. And since they record continuously when the car is in motion, they eliminate the need for a driver to hit record.
You won’t necessarily know if the car next to you is equipped with a dash cam – and you aren’t supposed to. But the awareness that any car around you could now be fully equipped to record your distracted driving or bad behavior is enough to keep you (and all of us) in line. It’s kind of like Big Brother, but for the digital age. And while some are questioning the legality of it (it does breach your fellow driver’s privacy), when it comes to handing in the footage to the police in matters of accidents, all that gets tossed out the window.
Not to mention, if you do find yourself in a driving predicament, you have invaluable information about a crash or incident you experienced or witnessed on the road. Which is comforting to all of us.