Do a quick search on YouTube for “Russian Dash Cam” and you’ll almost certainly laugh out loud, with the sheer amount of epic videos that the Russians have managed to record. But, does it justify having a dashcam locally? Prices of dashcam have came down steadily over the years (we’ll get to that soon), so it may actually make sense to get one for yourself.
1. Accident Recorder
Admittedly the streets of Kuala Lumpur have been ranked as the 18th (or 20th, depending on which source) deadliest roads to drive on. Anyone who has gotten into an accident, be it a minor fender bender or a major accident would definitely have a tale or two to share about other parties changing their story. There’s no arguing with video evidence. If necessary, drivers can provide video evidence to the police while making the police report and insurance claim.
2. Recording Other Drivers
Although not a prevalent as Russia, here in Malaysia we do have our fair share of inconsiderate drivers on the road. We don’t have to elaborate how certain drivers drive on the road, as it is a well known fact that many Malaysian drivers are very impatient. Many times we’ve came across drivers who would run the red light, tailgate other drivers, queue cutting, overtaking on every possible lane (including abusing the emergency lanes) and even those who fail at parking. One of the more well known hit-and-run cases like this did spread like a wildfire on social media sites.
Not forgetting this road rage incident.
3. Interesting Stuff
Once a while, car manufacturers will let their test mules or prototypes out on the road.With a dashcam, it is very much possible to get a quick screen-grab from your video, instead of having the need to whip out your phone to capture the picture (which is illegal). Do take note that this only applies to car guys who actually knows his stuff, and may not apply to the general population. Or you may even record something as funny as this, or a compilation as shown here.
4. Preventing Insurance Fraud
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waOsZGuxn5E
Although this may not apply locally, it’s still good to know that if someone tries to claim that you knocked them down, you’ll have video evidence against them. Cases like this happen, where pedestrians deliberately cross the road to get the drivers into trouble. A quick search on YouTube does show that it is prevalent not just in Russian, but as well as other countries, as shown here. Insurance companies overseas like swiftcover do offer premium cuts of 10% for dashcam users. We will be looking forward to this being implemented locally.
5. Parking Safety
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DHSRhP5JyQ
Some dashcams have built-in g-sensors and motion sensors that triggers the dashcam to record when the car is knocked. This can be used against people who hit into your car when parked at a parking lot. With the video evidence, a police report and insurance claim can be filed accordingly.
If you have decided to get a dashcam, good news as there are a wide selection of dashcams out there. But it can get daunting for new buyers as they are faced with too many choices. For safe shopping, always choose your dashcam from a well known seller or shop. It is also wise to watch reviews on YouTube to gauge which dashcam suits you. Prices for dashcams have steadily declined as well, with models selling for as cheap as RM200.
We would be taking a look into what dashcams to get in a foreseeable future. Stay tuned!
CW says…
I think this article has convinced me to get a dash-cam, especially if it allows morons like this to be brought to justice! Although it has been linked above, I think it ‘warrants’ a second look. Unfortunately, a lot of ‘BMW bashing’ ensued after this video went viral, but I think it’s fair to say that it really doesn’t matter what car it was, an idiot driver is an idiot driver regardless of brand, and a hit-and-run is a very serious offense. – Chris Wee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGamT-QP01g
[Image credit for featured image goes to autoinsurancebest.net]
