Dashcams

Dashcams as standard

  • yes

    Votes: 34 72.3%
  • no

    Votes: 13 27.7%

  • Total voters
    47

MegaSteve

Tour Winner
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
7,304
Location
In the slow lane...
Visit site
So if someone reverses into you while waiting to enter a roundabout and he claims you drove into him, would it not be helpfull to show the police what actually happened ?

Nearly all images are open to multiple interpretations...
Whose to say your interpretation will be the one accepted...
Particularly when 'clever' lawyers get involved...

In the event of speed playing a part then calibration of any devices would also be open to be questioned...
 

Blue in Munich

Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
14,090
Location
Worcester Park
Visit site
The evidence they provide is invaluable .......

If someone hits you, you can prove it.
If you see a hit and run you can prove it.
If there is a crash on a road and several have filmed it, there's no need to close the road for days.
If someone jumps on your bonnet and claims, you can prove it.
If you were doing the speed limit, you can prove it.

You insert a memory card into a slot in the camera and that card holds all the footage. There's no big brother involved at all.

If a road is closed for that duration it's because the surface is damaged. if it's closed for several hours it's because the crash involved, or potentially involves, a death; the standard of evidence required at court for that is well above & beyond that provided by a dash cam. It wouldn't change thing in those circumstances.

As the cam records their speed would that not encourage them to drive slower?

As the device would not be calibrated to evidential standards I doubt it.

I can see people sending the police footage from their dash cam in the belief that a law has been broken.
If something's sent in with an accusation, I suspect the police will be obliged to review it.
Probably in excess of 90% will not result in any action.
That's going to take time..

Is correct.

Unless they are involved in a crash, nobody else will see the speed.
They already have a Speedo, they know the limit,there are speed cameras....
This isn't going to make a difference in that front.

Is also correct.

So if someone reverses into you while waiting to enter a roundabout and he claims you drove into him, would it not be helpfull to show the police what actually happened ?

Nearly all images are open to multiple interpretations...
Whose to say your interpretation will be the one accepted...
Particularly when 'clever' lawyers get involved...

In the event of speed playing a part then calibration of any devices would also be open to be questioned...

If the camera shows you stationary and shows their reversing lights then I'm not sure how many interpretations there can be.


If one is available as an option I'd have one for self defence, but it's not going to change driving standards overnight; how many vehicles are currently out there without them, and if it was brought in tomorrow, how long would it take before the majority of the vehicles on the road had them?
 

nickjdavis

Head Pro
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
3,172
Visit site
i'd not really considered one seriously until last summer when someone decided to change lanes on the A12 and just pulled straight into the side of me whilst I was stationary in queuing traffic. There was no issues and the other driver acknowledged it was heist mistake claiming that he had sneezed and lost control (he was probably doing 20-25mph down the outside lane of three...I was stationary in the middle lane)...I personally wouldn't have been surprised if he was on his mobile but that's by the by.

On reflection once I'd reached home and was reviewing the photos I'd taken of both vehicles, I realised that looking at the relative damage to the other vehicle (white panel van, bigger than an Astra van, smaller than a Transit) I realised that it would have been quite conceivable that exactly the same damage pattern could have been caused by me pulling out on him as he went by me... indeed it was quite difficult to see how a particular bit of damage could have occurred to my vehicle given that nature of the accident.

All it would have taken would have been for him to subsequently dispute what had happened and it would have been a case of his word v. Mine (no other drivers bothered to pull over though the bloke behind me in the queue must have seen what happened.

So the day later I went out and bought myself a dash cam..... and after a couple of weeks I actually realised that, not only was I comfortable that I had some means of gathering evidence against potential idiots on the road who might do me harm, but my own driving standards had improved as well.... after all...the camera works both ways and is equally adept at showing when I do something potentially wrong as it is at showing someone else's transgressions.

I'm all for them.... along with black box "flight" recorders for cars.
 

Blue in Munich

Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
14,090
Location
Worcester Park
Visit site
Logic doesn't always win the day....

Normally works pretty well until you get a jury involved……. :mad:

Clearly you've never been to court and seen what expensive/clever lawyers can achieve...

I have, and I also know that clever/expensive lawyers usually know when to walk away…. ;)
 

upsidedown

Tour Winner
Joined
Apr 15, 2008
Messages
5,576
Location
Shropshire
Visit site
There was a spat of crash for cash incidents around our local town 9 months ago so got one for myself and HiD. Very happy to have that feeling that if there is an incident we'll have back up proof of what happened . As for compulsory fitting to new cars, yup go for it.
 

bobmac

Major Champion
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
27,475
Location
Lincolnshire
Visit site
Frankly I have to say I'm surprised at the response to this question and I don't agree with the arguements above.

Him
Constable, I didn't do it honest.
Me
Constable here's HD video evidence from my GPS dashcam that he did

Clearly you've never been to court and seen what expensive/clever lawyers can achieve...

When someone claims you did something wrong and you point to your discrete dashcam, they dont hang around for the police, they leg it so it will never see a court room
 

Khamelion

Tour Winner
Joined
Jul 11, 2011
Messages
5,063
Location
Newcastle
Visit site
I replied yes to the thread, useful to prove in an accident who was at fault and if the dash cam could be fitted to work alongside a black box even better. Visual data from the cam and telemetry from the black box.
 

Lazkir

Head Pro
Joined
Mar 3, 2016
Messages
741
Visit site
Frankly I have to say I'm surprised at the response to this question and I don't agree with the arguements above.

Him
Constable, I didn't do it honest.
Me
Constable here's HD video evidence from my GPS dashcam that he did

When someone claims you did something wrong and you point to your discrete dashcam, they dont hang around for the police, they leg it so it will never see a court room


I have one, and when someone rear ended me a year or so ago I just pointed it out to him, he sort of gave a disappointed grunt and just acknowledge he was at fault.
I was never in doubt about the outcome regards the insurance at any stage.

As for the big brother nonsense? I don't get it. The dashcam is owned by me, and so are the contents of the sd card. If I don't want anyone to see it then they won't. Simple as that!
 

USER1999

Grand Slam Winner
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
25,671
Location
Watford
Visit site
Dash cam. Points forwards. Records stuff out the front window. Could buy another one, pointing out the rear window.
Most of the idiots trying to kill me do it from the side. Not on camera.

I think 8 cameras should cover it.
 

MegaSteve

Tour Winner
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
7,304
Location
In the slow lane...
Visit site
Frankly I have to say I'm surprised at the response to this question and I don't agree with the arguements above.

Him
Constable, I didn't do it honest.
Me
Constable here's HD video evidence from my GPS dashcam that he did



When someone claims you did something wrong and you point to your discrete dashcam, they dont hang around for the police, they leg it so it will never see a court room

Do you think your dashcam will help with a claim against one of the ever increasing number of uninsured drivers?
 
D

Deleted Member 1156

Guest
Having already had one fitted in my van, it was invaluable when a Range Rover reversed back into my 3 week on van. The evidence I was stationary made him pay up without question.
If they become standard fit, it's only a very short matter of time that you own "defence" will be used against you.

Interesting comments. Seems that you are happy to have one prove you were NOT at fault with the Range Rover but you don't want one to prove that you COULD be at fault the next time?
 

Bunkermagnet

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 14, 2014
Messages
7,708
Location
Kent
Visit site
Interesting comments. Seems that you are happy to have one prove you were NOT at fault with the Range Rover but you don't want one to prove that you COULD be at fault the next time?
Not totally like that.
As they are voluntary, they can only be used for your defence.
If they became standard fit it wouldn’t be long before insurance companies would be wanting to use your recordings possibly against you.
You might also note I voted for them.
 
Top