Dash Cams and Their Role in On Road Mobile Security

[jalex]

Many people abroad use dash cams and on-board cameras in their vehicles. The purpose is to record their commute or trip and to use it as evidence in a court of law in case situation requires so. For instance an accident where it is hard to make out who was at fault, Or to identify the suspect in a situation where the occupant of a vehicle was mugged or harassed while driving. There are even cameras that can be disguised as something else and can help nab car vandals. A lot of these incidents are on the rise across the country and I guess a dash board cam can make a lot of difference.

I myself once experienced while driving that people wont go on the offensive if they see a camera pointed at them. In my case it was a biker who got pissed when I honked hard at him for riding with a mobile phone to his head and swerving into my lane. He started chasing me and started to hurl abuse at me, My wife and kid were with me. I suddenly told my wife to get the camera and get him on video record as it looked as if he might assault. On seeing the camera the guy took off as fast as he could.



There even dash cam holders to which you can attach your regular camera or video recorder. I believe its the next step in on road security after traffic surviellence cameras in cities. I invite everyone's thoughts on the idea.

Some links: Dash Cameras and Dash Cam Accessories by Dash-Camera.com
Car Vandalism Surveillance Camera

One from E-bay which has GPS record as well: Itronics ITB-70G Car Black Box Dash Camera Video and A | eBay

 

[dodge_v1per]

its also gonna help to spot exotic cars..

 

[jalex]

It can be of help in many ways. And yes it can spot exotics and weird make overs as well. Does anyone have one in their car? I'm thinking of getting a dash board mount, custom made for my car. Problem is it needs time and patience along with some good craftsmen to conceptualize.

 

[Akash]

Excellent article. To be honest i was not aware of any such thing. As for the black box, i believe this is similar to what Rajeev had in his Scorpio.

In my case it was a biker who got pissed when I honked hard at him for riding with a mobile phone to his head and swerving into my lane. He started chasing me and started to hurl abuse at me, My wife and kid were with me. I suddenly told my wife to get the camera and get him on video record as it looked as if he might assault. On seeing the camera the guy took off as fast as he could.

Never knew the people in Kerela have so high tempers.

 

[rajvardhanraje]

I totally agree with you. It can definitely benefit us a lot.

 

[jalex]

Excellent article. To be honest i was not aware of any such thing. As for the black box, i believe this is similar to what Rajeev had in his Scorpio.



Never knew the people in Kerela have so high tempers.

Well many motorists here have a lot of rage. Some people just turn into Mr.Hyde from Dr.Jekyll as soon as they get behind the wheel. Even people who are passengers! Just some days back a student threw a stone and shattered the rear window of a bus after the bus took off before him getting down. He fell down and as soon as he got up he took a stone and threw it at the bus. We get a lot of cases here at court too where people attacked each other after getting raged on the road.

It happens as a result of many things, Mostly the lack of road infrastructure. The roads are good but its not enough as the proportion of roads to cars is very low here. Add to that the number of roads getting narrower after shops and people encroach upon it with no one to nab them. Then there are people who drive ahead of you, Like autos who drive ridiculously slow looking for fare at 10kmph in front of a train of traffic on a narrow road. They dont care if there is a pile up of traffic following them and then someone behind loses it.

Since this is getting crazier by the day and God knows when you might be on the receiving end, I always carry a Digital camera while on the road. But the con here is that you cannot record real time when an issue comes your way. When you start rolling, the damage might have already happened and you will be left with no evidence. Hence the thought about a dash board camera which can record real time and throughout your trip.

 

[350Z]

The cops in U.S have dash cams equipped in their cars. It’s also better to keep a cam handy (most mobiles have one) just like it proved to be of help for Jalex.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Tornado]

http://www.eyespypro.com/products/Tiny-Four-Camera-Vehicle-DVR-With-GPS-And-3G.html

Recently, I searched a 3g +gps tracker +DVR in camera, found this.

Guys, please post if any other similar product available in India. I need it for my children's car.

 

[Gurrala74]

^^Oops..Tornado, that link which you gave doesn't work

 

[_Ankit_]

It has another benefit if it is with recording.
If we have a driver we can see how he handles car when he is alone. How much red light he jumps etc.
Do you have something which can record speeds?

Ankit

 

[Tornado]

@ANKIT,GPS device @8kINR approx. is best thing to moniter the speed.

@Gurrala ,the link stands corrected now,thanks to Elite TAIger 350z .

 

[dhoom9]

whether dash cam videos & pictures are legally acceptable to traffic police, courts & insurance companies in India?

 

[WaaWaa Waa]

This is my dash-camera. I got it from naaptol for Rs.2000 only and it does quite a decent job for the price. With 16GB MMC I can record upto 9 hours of video with sound and supports upto 32GB MMC. It can also capture still photos, format MMC and playback recorded videos and photos.

I use the camera mainly for surveying road conditions. Working in the state PWD, maintaining roads is a part of my job and a dash camera is quite a handy tool for the job. If, for some reason, I cannot visit the sites I can send a driver to visit the roads with the dash camera recording and I can look over the videos when he comes back, just like I am travelling the roads myself.

@dhoom9, I think there is nothing illegal about using a dash camera.

Here is one video captured with this dash camera-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2fKDhCkxvE

 

[Prads]

^ I think its price has been slightly raised to around 3k, can this be set to record the moment car switches on?
Like have it connected to the main power through an installer?

Does it automatically record once it gets power?
Once memory card is full does it overwrite over the old ones?