Does a dashboard camera make sense for you?
When you think of a dashboard camera, you may think about police officers chasing down criminals on the highway or drunk party-goers caught on camera after a night out on the town. While all that may be true, the dashboard camera has a new purpose: to help you, the driver.
Not only can a camera in your car be a cool way to document unexpected events that may be worthy of your YouTube channel, it can also actually help you out when it comes to saving money on car insurance.
If you don't have one yet, here are three good reasons why you need a dashboard camera in your car:
Prevent insurance fraud
Let's be real, some people will do almost anything for a quick pay day. This includes committing insurance fraud. Having a recording device in your vehicle can help show how you're driving, what you're doing, and if that biker really did cross the road when it was their turn or if they darted out into the road on a red light.
Reviewed.com says that a dashboard camera can make sense can when it saves you thousands in wrongful lawsuits: “Getting involved in an accident with a pedestrian is one of my worst fears. And believe it or not, there are people out there who actively try to get hit by oncoming traffic—they're happy to accept a broken arm in exchange for a fat insurance settlement. Thank goodness for dash cams! With video evidence, you'd actually stand a chance in court if someone tried to pull a fast one on you."
Keep an eye out in parking lots
If you've ever parked your car in a crowded parking lot and gone to an appointment, shopping or to run errands and come back to find your car scratched or your side mirror broken then a dashboard camera is for you.
Just as you may have a security camera to protect your home while you're away, a camera on the dashboard can keep your car safe while it's parked. Maybe it can't keep the car safe from accidents and wrongdoing, but it can record the incident and hopefully show the license plate or the face of the person who caused the damage.
That identification can help track them down and recover your costs of repair, just in case they didn't leave a note with their name, phone number and car insurance information.
Get the real story in an accident
Most of the time an accident is a he said/she said tale of the incident. With a camera documenting the whole event you can now show the truth, the real story. There is no more "I was completely stopped" or "She came out of nowhere" with a dashboard camera. It can show you, your insurance company, and the judge (if it comes down to that) what really happened on the event of the day in question.
A dashboard camera can be a way to protect yourself from being wrongfully accused and having your insurance premiums skyrocket through no fault of your own.