What to consider when choosing a dash cam

For taxi drivers, dashboard cameras have many benefits, not least to provide evidence in the event of an accident. Although they’ve been around for some time, recent advancements have reduced costs while improving screen resolution, allowing them to become more widely available.

While dash cams are not a legal requirement, they do provide other advantages for fleets such as monitoring driver behaviour while they’re out on the road. In turn, this reduces accidents, fuel consumption and wear and tear on the vehicle.

How to set up a dashboard camera
Commercial Fleet recently highlighted the best way to set up your dash cam. Devices must not be fitted directly above the steering wheel and should not protrude more than 40mm into the swept area of the windscreen wiper blades.
According to the law, video-playing devices must not be visible to the driver when driving, so devices must have the ability to turn themselves off. Otherwise, drivers may have to cover them.
As with all devices, models vary in price, quality and functions, however, budget models are often found to fall short of operators’ requirements when it comes to quality and functionality.
In addition, some budget cameras may not be recognised by insurers, so it’s worth double-checking with your provider.
Dash cams should also be tamper proof and able to provide email notifications as soon as an incident occurs. They should also be able to give details about the vehicle’s speed.

Premium services
If you’re willing to move into the more premium end of the market, you’ll be faced with devices offering a wider range of services.
Some models now include driver aid systems, such as collision detection, lane departure warning, front collision alert and driver fatigue alert.
More expensive devices can also be linked to telematics via the sat nav, allowing the documentation of the vehicle’s speed and location.
For further protection, in may be worth considering inward-facing cameras that monitor driver’s movements and concentration.

Storage
While the majority of dash cams store their recorded footage on SD cards, some devices can now send footage of suspected incidents via a 3G mobile data connection. This works through a G-sensor, or acceleration sensor within the camera.
Dash cams are a great way of protecting yourself, especially if you drive for business. You just need to choose a product that will not only be reliable but also provide court admissible footage in the event of a claim.
 
Insurance Factory