Have you ever considered installing a dash cam in your car?
Dash cams, or dashboard-mounted cameras, are video cameras that automatically record footage of the road in front of you when you turn your car on.
While using a car camera for safety reasons may seem like a no-brainer, there are a few implications you should consider before deciding whether or not you want to install one in your vehicle.
Pros: Why You Might Consider a Dash Cam
There’s certainly a few positives when it comes to using a dash cam in your car. If you can afford the extra expense, you might find it worth it to pick up a dash cam for a few key reasons.
- Camera footage could strengthen your defense in court or in an insurance dispute. There’s no guarantee, but having extra visual proof to back up your case certainly won’t hurt if you ever have to dispute a claim for an automobile accident.
- You’ll have proof if you suffer a hit-and-run. While dash cam footage isn’t necessarily more reliable than post-accident photographs of automobile damage, they’re great backups for when you don’t have the chance to take such photographs at all.
- A dash cam is like a GoPro for your car. Dash cams don’t always have to be such serious business. Use it to record your road trip and save the footage as a video diary of all your special moments on the road.
Cons: Why You Might Not Need a Dash Cam
Now that we’ve covered the positive side of dash cams, let’s look at some other factors you should consider before making the trip to the local auto shop.
- Dash cams don’t prevent accidents. It’s important to remember that–while dash cams might give you an added sense of security should you ever suffer from an automobile accident–dash cams themselves won’t prevent accidents and won’t protect you in any way during an accident.
- Dash cams likely won’t lower your car insurance Why not? Although many people think of dash cams as an added security measure–which, logically, should lower the cost of your car insurance policy–it’s not quite as simple as that. Since most of them only face forward and shoot footage that’s often not of the highest quality, there’s never any guarantee that a dash cam will capture all the information your provider needs to prove exactly who or what caused an accident. We invite you to learn How to Find Cheap Car Insurance in SC
- There are legal implications. Size should certainly be a factor when shopping for dash cams, as equipment that limits your visibility while driving could land you in a bit of trouble. And since some states have laws regarding where you can and can’t record audio or video footage, you’ll have to do a bit of legal research to make sure you’re using your dash cam lawfully.
Should You Buy One?
So which route should you take?
We’ll leave that up to you. There’s strong arguments to both sides–and while you don’t necessarily need a dash cam in your car and while we doubt that it’ll lead to any signifiant savings with your car insurance policy, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to invest in one if it fits into your budget. After all, the extra peace of mind you’ll get from knowing you’ve got video proof on your side after an automobile accident could be worth every penny.
Learn more about Manning Insurance Services‘ Car Insurance Policies.