Where to fit Dashcam

Wargenwolf wrote:I went for the 'cheap & easy' option.

I use the supplied windscreen sucker alongside the interior rear view mirror, so that it's out of sight and it takes seconds to remove it if I want to close the blinds.

Same place as i fitted mine but each time the van is MOT'd, the guys remove the cam because of vision! My cam is underneath rather than alongside though but when driving i never notice it.

Paramedic wrote:
Absolutely, cost of Snooper camera £85.00 total cost of off side damage caused by moron that hit us £859.00 and subsequently paid for by his employer's insurance company. Further satisfaction on learning that he had been sacked for two previous accidents in a short space of time and failing to report crash to his transport manager. Without the dash cam that recorded company name and registration, he would have got away with it and leaving us with the repair bill or increased premium if put in a claim. Don't think I'm paranoid but also have camera for car and recently for cycle helmet.

It's about time insurance companies caught up with the times and began giving discounts to policy holders with dash cams, though i think it's only a matter of time. They prove invaluable whenever a claim is in dispute.

Bulletguy wrote:
It's about time insurance companies caught up with the times and began giving discounts to policy holders with dash cams, though i think it's only a matter of time. They prove invaluable whenever a claim is in dispute.

Thank you and yes a picture paints a thousand words. What might have been a long drawn out pursuit to prove fault as to the cause of the crash, it was only when our insurance company provided the video evidence did the other insurers immediately admit blame and paid up.

Same for us Paramedic, in Austria an Italian van hit us after crashing through some roadworks damaging the front wing and bumper, got the whole thing on dashcam and sent to insurers (SAGA) whose underwriters approved repairs immediately. Without the dashcam footage that would have taken months if ever to be sorted out.
Have nextbase 512gw in van and cheapies in cars, mine is mounted on the dashtop so the blinds shut.

Bulletguy wrote:
It's about time insurance companies caught up with the times and began giving discounts to policy holders with dash cams, though i think it's only a matter of time. They prove invaluable whenever a claim is in dispute.

I imagine it's because the dashcam is as likely to show your at fault as not.

AutoSleepyDon wrote:
I imagine it's because the dashcam is as likely to show your at fault as not.

Totally agree, but the idea being that it makes you aware of your driving habits hopefully to make you a better driver. With regard to the advertising merits, this concept is one of many advantages to owning a dash cam. Obviously our encounter happened so fast and where he didn't stop, we would have been at a loss as to why and how it happened albeit we were correctly positioned on the carriageway. Furthermore, we are trying to pursue a summons against the other driver for failing to stop at the scene of an accident/failing to report an accident contrary to section 170 of The Road Traffic Act 1988 but don't think it will be successful.

AutoSleepyDon wrote:
I imagine it's because the dashcam is as likely to show your at fault as not.

It would in a case where you are at fault.....so it's a win/win for insurance companies. If your fault then you pay, if the other driver then they pay. Whilst insurance companies certainly look at footage (if any) they are being extremely slow to offer discount to encourage more drivers to install them.

Insurance companies won't give a discount unless it can be provd it reduces claims and therefore money. The claim may be settled easier but the claim still has to be paid out. 
The real saving is to the insured if it can be proved that easily and without doubt not to be their fault.
Why would they give a discount when it may well prove that they have to pay out, anyway would you want a a clause in the small print that you must always have a working dash cam when your driving just so you can have a marginal discount?
I'll have a dash cam but I'll happily do without the discount.

Mike

I agree with Mike. I've used dashcams for years but I wouldn't claim an insurance discount were one available for the reason he mentions. The amount of discount is hardly likely to be worth very much.

Frank

groundhog wrote:
Have nextbase 512gw in van and cheapies in cars, mine is mounted on the dashtop so the blinds shut.

I’ve been looking at this, and doing the same. Does the 512GW work and function what in essence is upside down to the mirror mount ? Or are you mounting differently on the dash top ?

Milvus wrote:I’ve been looking at this, and doing the same. Does the 512GW work and function what in essence is upside down to the mirror mount ? Or are you mounting differently on the dash top ?

Hi Milvus

Is the 512 worth an extra 50 quid? Worth doing a bit of research before lashing out?

We have both models (the 512 came with the new car) and to be honest I prefer the 312. It has an easy menu feature to invert the image so the dash top mount works perfectly, and it does everything we would ever want. The 512 doesn't do much more that's of any value to us, and is more complicated to set up and use.

No doubt the image can also be inverted on the 512, but its mount is quite different and fixed in the car, so I've never used it in the van.

I don't understand why people pay thousands of pounds on a motorhome and thousands of pounds on a car, then penny pinch for the sake of £100? by not buying a dashcam for each.
Sods law says that the only time you will really need the dashcam is the day you forgot / couldn't be bothered to swap it out from your other vehicle.

Frank

Thanks Dave, I’ll check out the features on the 312. Helpful to know it will work perfectly well upside down. I’ve flipped a picture of a 312, and it looks fine.  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Yep. Looks the part!  Did you see my earlier post? [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

boxerman wrote:I don't understand why people pay thousands of pounds on a motorhome and thousands of pounds on a car, then penny pinch for the sake of £100? by not buying a dashcam for each.
Sods law says that the only time you will really need the dashcam is the day you forgot / couldn't be bothered to swap it out from your other vehicle.
Frank

Exactly Frank, which is precisely why I'm about to buy another 312 to remain permanently in the van.

Your logic is impossible to refute! 

..... would you want a a clause in the small print that you must always have a working dash cam when your driving just so you can have a marginal discount? wrote:I'll have a dash cam but I'll happily do without the discount.

Mike

I agree. On a slightly different note, this year I decided to pay £20 extra on my insurance  because of  worries about the GPS tracker/alarm (Hal-Locate) always being operational.I had thought it would go up more than that.

Yes the 512 does work upside down, is it worth the extra though?

The camera that recorded our accident so well in Austria came FREE with some LED bulbs that we bought so that probably answers the question, on that basis it isn't...It is far smaller than the nextbase and  now mounted behind the mirror on my car almost invisible. If I were buying one for Lady G's car I would buy another cheap one... but

Next month we are flying to Calgary then heading North to drive the ice roads, we will certainly be wanting to take videos of the trip and the 512GW with the best lens is the beast needed for the job. No contest.

It depends on what you want from your dashcam, if it is 'just in case' I would not bother to pay the extra for a 512GW.

On the subject of discount I agree with the above, discount doesn't bother me as I will hammer down the price by phoning around anyway, there will not be room for extra discount if you do that effectively.

groundhog wrote:................Next month we are flying to Calgary then heading North to drive the ice roads, we will certainly be wanting to take videos of the trip and the 512GW with the best lens is the beast needed for the job. No contest.

It depends on what you want from your dashcam, if it is 'just in case' I would not bother to pay the extra for a 512GW.

That sounds like a journey that I would want recorded too 

Taking your 'just in case' need for a dashcam, I would take that a little further and still advise going for the best quality day and night time optics you can afford. 

During investigations in the past, I have reviewed footage from many cheaper dash cams and many came up wanting, especially in poor weather, low light and night time collisions. They would often show that the owner was not at fault, which may be all some owners want, to ward off spurious claims, but the footage wasn't always sufficient quality to identify the offending vehicle, which in a 'hit and run' becomes more important, as you could end up losing your insurance excess and face increased premiums.

If the offending vehicle that hits you, causes you to lose control and involve other people, vehicles and/or property, that could also land at your insurer's doorstep.

Good point 'Wolf.
Thanks for that useful insight.