Who has a dash cam & what's your experience?

[WaltBennett]

After about 30k miles towing in three years, and untold numbers of idiots cutting in front of me & etc., I've decided I want to get one. I know at least a 120 degree field, decent non-LED low light recording, and g force trigger are for certain needed, but what else?

[Fire5er]

I started using this one last year and will use it again this season. I got it because it was cheep and just to try it out. So far I haven't needed it but should I it will provide a replay of what happened. I have used it in the car a few times while driving mountain passes in the snow just in case and it provided some beautiful video of our trip.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/42104314?w...166048&veh=sem

[Rondo]

We have one but have not used it yet but plan on doing so on our trip to warmer weather come next week! Hope it will help IF anything should happen while traveling.

[Blk_Adventurer]

I have been using this unit by Cobra. The video is great and can be viewed on your computer with HD presentation.

http://www.costco.com/Cobra-Drive-HD...100223046.html

I wish I could get a bluetooth mic for the exterior, since the unit records your interior conversation while driving .

[Mr Pachu]

We use a Garmin Dash Cam 20 and wouldn't be without it. We've got footage of so many idiots out there, namely one lady who came off a side road ignoring the stop sign and pulled right onto the highway in front of us. Thankfully no one was coming towards us and I could go around her otherwise I would have ran right into the back of her car. The camera sure would have paid for itself then. My wife phoned the local RCMP (Canada)and told them what happened. They came out and put their lights on to stop her but she ran another stop sign in front of the police before pulling over.

[drknapp]

quote:Originally posted by Blk_Adventurer

I have been using this unit by Cobra. The video is great and can be viewed on your computer with HD presentation.

http://www.costco.com/Cobra-Drive-HD...100223046.html

I wish I could get a bluetooth mic for the exterior, since the unit records your interior conversation while driving .

This what we have also. We didn't like it recording inside sound either so I disabled the sound.

[richfaa]

We have one just got it at a RV show last week. See no need for it but it was a good buy and well we did not have one. Will try to set it up looking out the rear window of the truck and use it to hitch up the Montana. The footage is not legal in court in most States.

[Artemus Gordon]

We have four dash cams for vehicles. We use the Kim Komando dual cameras. Take extreme heat and cold no issues. Three years on one unit. Excellent quality and captured lots of road dangers. I bought a Sony unit for the rear window of the Montana. I plug it into closet DC socket. Captured two guys trying to steal our 50 amp power cord. We keep the cord locked to the RV hitch. While they did not get cord their faces are in the hands of our local police.

Here is same unit sold at Wall Mart! http://www.walmart.com/ip/33901997?w...857255&veh=sem

[richfaa]

Good idea Artemus on the dash cam as a security cam. We are gonna do that also. Feel better about buying it .

[Art-n-Marge]

I'm liking these cameras, too, but I would want cameras all around (sides and rear facing too), then it's almost overkill. I've seen enough rear end and side incidents, not necessarily by or about me, but could see that these others could use the camera footage to clarify what really happened, especially for settling disputes.

[08UltraRider]

I have a Ojocam Pro 2 with GPS in both of my vehicles. I bought them based on the reviews which I'm happy I did. I disabled the sound too.

For me.... The video was used when I found a badly beaten lady that was dumped into the ditch early one morning last winter. The police took the dashcam video to see what they could find including seeing her in the ditch.

What prompted me to get one was a TA a couple of years ago when a driver realized she was in the wrong lane and made a quick lane change into the side of my old winter beater truck. It turned into a he said/she said argument between the insurance adjusters who finally settled she was in the wrong based on the damage to our vehicles. She said I ran a stop sign into the side of her when the damage was clearly a side swipe from a lane change. And as clear as it was it still took about a year of back and forths for the other side to finally admit fault!

A dashcam witness would have settled it far sooner.

[Slufoot733]

I have one made by Cobra for about $150. You can find them cheaper and costlier. I love it and would never tow without it. So far I have not recorded anything that should be saved BUT, like insurance, when you need it.....YOU NEED IT!
I have shown some video to others when we see an idiot doing stupid stuff but since they didn't affect me I did not save the shot.

If you get serious about one do your research. There are many features that may or may not be to your liking. Mine has:
G sensor, motion detection, and GPS plus various other functions.

[richfaa]

Ask a attorney in your State if they are admissible in court. For police yes but in general the court will not allow it.

[08UltraRider]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Ask a attorney in your State if they are admissible in court. For police yes but in general the court will not allow it.

From what I've found is in most places you must inform your passengers if you're recording audio inside your vehicle. Consent is required.

Today we live in a society where we are being video recorded pretty much everywhere we go in public. Those recordings are used in court all the time.

I would guess that it wouldn't be admissible if the dashcam video was illegally seized by (for example) police?

Before I retired from the railroad all of our locomotives were in the process of being equipped with front facing cameras along with outside audio that records the sound of the whistle and bell. They have used this data many times in court to protect themselves from liability.

[Artemus Gordon]

In California one must inform anyone inside your car, and you must inform law enforcement if pulled over. I was asked to turn my camera off by an officer in a DUI checkpoint. I simply refused. That too was caught on tape... Lol. Nothing more came of it. Plus I have stickers, I bought from Amazon, on my back window on the F450 and driver and passenger Windows. The stickers state "vehicle under audio and video surveillance". My cameras have caught more than one person "eyeing my truck"! One funny thing, one of the techs at my dealer refused to work on my truck, unless I turned off the cameras! I told service writer, unless you guys are hiding something, why would he care? Cameras stay on...plus I warn them not to touch them! Lol.

[richfaa]

Just saying on the question of legality ask the question and get the answer. We did not buy the cam for that purpose besides you never know when it might help in a legal issue.

[stengels]

Rich is probably correct about the video not being admissible in court. However, I can tell you that, having handled claims for 35 years, you show an adjuster the tape, it will have an impact on the claim. Understand that of all claims that go into litigation, less than 2% ever find their way to trial. Also, the video would be a great aid for an accident reconstruction expert to put together an admissible video.

[richfaa]

That stengels is a great reply.

[Slufoot733]

All I know is I would rather have it to show than not have anything. I am with Tim, the railroads installed RailView in their locos and it's saved them a ton in cases where people claim "gates weren't down" or "he never blew the horn". If nothing else you can show all your friends how the idiot missed his exit and tried to back up on the turnpike!

[rames14]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the GoPro cameras. I know lots of owners travel with theirs on the dash. I even have a bike mount.