Did you know in Great Britain, there were an estimated 24,530 killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties in the year ending June 2021, according to Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates: year ending June 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Dash cams, that tiny digital witness. Just plug it in and when your engine starts, the camera starts recording. If left plugged in, some dash cams can also detect motion when the engine is off for those times you are parked up and something or someone hits your car. Dash cams aim to catch collisions, vandals, and the all too familiar… road rage incidents. If you are a new driver or a young driver, being on the road can be intimidating and sometimes just plain scary, especially when you come across impatient and undisciplined drivers. Dash cams are a great addition to your car and could help ease your anxiety when driving as, they film everything!
What kind of dash cams are there?
- Front view – these are the cheapest, ranging anywhere from £15 to £30 for a basic video recording camera and £40 to £100 for added features such as, motion detection, wide-angle camera, G-Sensor, GPS etc. but they are not able to see anything happening behind you.
- Both Front and Rearview – these are more expensive, ranging anywhere from £39 to £160 again, depending on the features included. However, plenty of accidents on the road involve rear-end collisions meaning these could be a worthwhile investment.
- Cabin view (beneficial for taxi drivers) – like any other customer service provider, taxi drivers experience all sorts of physical and verbal abuse from customers, it certain benefits having taxi driver insurance in case of accident with a cabin view camera to help your case. Cabin view cameras, which are just dashcams facing inside your car, could be a huge benefit and smart investment.
While we know it can be difficult to prove you are not in the wrong when an incident occurs, especially young and new drivers, having a dash cam will provide evidence that you are not at fault.
As an insurer, we know how often drivers fall victim to scams or are involved in an accident that was not their fault. We know there are many drivers on the road who break the law or do not have regard for anyone else on the road. This is where dash cams become a major benefit. After all, if you have video evidence of the incident, insurers may be able to deduce what happened and who is at fault.
Crash for cash: what to look out for
Crash for cash scammers will target innocent drivers in order to profit from accidents they purposely cause. This includes break checking; the driver directly in front of you will slam on their breaks unnecessarily with the aim of getting you to crash into the back of them. As well as, flashing their headlights to signal they are giving way to you, ‘letting you go’, then crash into you. Although the majority of drivers may actually be signaling to let you go, you should still remain cautious when this happens. Never assume or trust that it is safe to proceed. These scammers will also crash their own cars together and make a claim or submit false claims for accidents that didn’t occur.
To learn more about crash for cash scams and how to avoid them, click here.
How could a dash cam benefit you?
According to, MoneyExpert.com, from a report published in 2018, one in five people said that they felt a dash cam made them a better driver. 48% of people justified this saying they felt the dash cam made them feel more alert and 44% said it made them a more confident driver.
Some dash cams even have a built in GPS system, which not only record your location and accurate speeds. This function may be something you should look for when purchasing a dashcam. Of course, these are more expensive, however, they will help you pinpoint where an accident has occurred and help emergency services find you. If you travel a lot, dash cams with GPS systems could be a great and potentially lifesaving investment.
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