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Dash-Cam in your cars?

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
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Anyone have a Dash Cam in your car?

Apparently in Russia and some other areas the insurance companies strongly encourage the installation of auto-recording dash cams in private vehicles and pretty much require them in business vehicles.

The concept is to automatically record any accidents, hit and runs, etc. Under ideal circumstances one would be installed in the front, another facing the rear.

Thinking of getting one and installing it in my daughter's car, which will be parked/used on/in college campus/college town.

Thoughts? Personal experience?
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I picked one up this winter for the durango. I have it installed but never use it right now since it didn't come with a micro SD card and I haven't gotten around to picking one up. My purchase was mainly a response to a few different accidents in this area last winter which proved without a doubt the other driver was at fault in an accident.
 

Adillo303

Diesel Truck Fan
GOLD Site Supporter
Considering a fair amount of today's news, one facing inside the cab to be activated in cast of being pulled over would be nice.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
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Considering a fair amount of today's news, one facing inside the cab to be activated in cast of being pulled over would be nice.

For traffic stops that would be ideal, but honestly an iPhone can serve that same purpose and it will only record when you want it to record. A dash cam recording events inside the car could actually be a bad thing if it proves you were distracted.

So here is what I have figured out from reading several forums.

A DashCam with integrated GPS that tells your speed is more likely to implicate you as being partially at fault than anything else (because most people drive at least slightly above the speed limits so insurance companies will claim you are, at least partially, to blame if they can show you were speeding, even if only a couple mph)

A microphone recording the inside of your car is more likely to show you as being partially at fault than anything else (because its easy to show you were distracted if you are talking, laughing, arguing, etc, therefore insurance companies will claim you are to blame, even if only partially)

Video only appears to be the way to go. The more coverage the better (front & rear), if you are not an aggressive driver.

Also, there appear to be several versions of many different cameras. Just because they look the same does not mean they are the same. Lots of fakes with inferior innards. Also, even with reputable version, different firmware can make a big difference in the video quality. So 2 identical cameras (same hardware) from 2 different companies, with different installed firmware can perform differently, and consequently one may justifiably be worth more than the other. For example the B40/118 appears to be the generic version of the identical looking Street Guardian but they use (reportedly) inferior firmware and (reportedly) don't perform as well as the Street Guardian.

Also, many cameras don't operate at 12-volts so if you want to hardwire them into your car you need a step-down converter from a 3rd party because you simply can't cut the wire and splice it into your car's fusebox.
 

road squawker

Active member
GOLD Site Supporter
For traffic stops that would be ideal....

be careful, check your local laws.

in certain states it is illegal to record audio of the police. Video seems to be legal in all states,

but,.......... many LEO's will tell you to turn it off, if you don't, they will confiscate the camera and arrest you. (obstruction of Justice charges) commonly known as an "attitude arrest".
 

jimbo

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
be careful, check your local laws.

in certain states it is illegal to record audio of the police. Video seems to be legal in all states,

but,.......... many LEO's will tell you to turn it off, if you don't, they will confiscate the camera and arrest you. (obstruction of Justice charges) commonly known as an "attitude arrest".

IMO, the fact that the police find recording you at a stop a good idea and yet don't want you to record their actions, is a valid reason to record the police.
 

Adillo303

Diesel Truck Fan
GOLD Site Supporter
Just read that many police are now wearing body cameras.

I would think that if a cop knocks on your window wearing a body cam they would have a though time arresting you for also recording them.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
be careful, check your local laws.

in certain states it is illegal to record audio of the police. Video seems to be legal in all states,

but,.......... many LEO's will tell you to turn it off, if you don't, they will confiscate the camera and arrest you. (obstruction of Justice charges) commonly known as an "attitude arrest".

True, but those laws are falling like dominoes in the courts.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Nope. All seem to be of less than OEM quality and reliability.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
:(

I'm going through amazon right now, sorted by highest review. I'll post what I see that may have promise.
 

Tractors4u

Active member
Site Supporter
I know this is an old thread, but last summer I bought a cheap little action camera similar to a GoPro off of Amazon called the SJ4000. I originally bought it to use on my quadcopter (drone as some call them). It has a dash cam feature that allows you to plug it into the 12v receptacle and when you turn on the ignition it turns on and turn off when you shut the engine off. It is set to cyclic record every ten minutes. I get 5 ten minute videos on the card I have in mine before it starts recording over previous videos. For the video quality and options you can't beat it for the price.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Waterproof-Recorder-Accessories-Shockproof/dp/B00VE5YTKC/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1435689905&sr=1-1&keywords=sj4000"]Amazon.com : Neewer® SJ4000 1080P H.264 WIFI Sports Camera with 1.5Inch LCD Display 12MP 170 Degree Wide Angle+ Full HD Lens Waterproof Action Camera Car Recorder DVR Cam Include Various Accessories (Silver) + 8.7*7*2.6" / 21.5*16.5*6.3cm EVA Shockproof Carrying Case with Handle (Black) + Wrench, Works with IPhone 4/4s/5/5c/5s/6/6plus/ ipad 1/2/3/4/air/mini/ Samsung Galaxy S5/S4/S3/S2 All Other iOS 4.0 or Android 7.0 System Smart Phones and PC : Camera & Photo[/ame]
 
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