Owning a vehicle is expensive, and making sure that your protected in the event of a collision isn’t just about having the right car insurance policy for your vehicle. Having a dash cam on your vehicle is an easy and cost-effective way to protect yourself. Dashboard cameras have been a necessity for taxi drivers and truck drivers for a long time. They rely on dash camera footage as evidence in the event of an accident. Like security cameras in your home, a dash cam allows you to take control of your car’s security, and here’s why:
1. A Dashboard Camera Gives You Hard Evidence
In the event of a collision, the hardest thing to prove to your insurance provider is who is at fault for the accident. This is especially true when the cause of a collision is not clear-cut. When you call the police after a crash, the other driver may try to pin the blame on you for the collision. With dashboard camera footage, you have hard evidence as to the cause of any collision, and it makes it much more difficult for the other driver to dispute. This will not only help you prove your innocence to the police but can also increase your chances of receiving compensation if you have hired a car accident lawyer as it can help prove that you were not at fault.
- A Dashboard Camera May Help Reduce Your Insurance Costs
A dashboard camera is one of the best ways to ensure that you are not unfairly blamed for a collision. This also means that your insurance company is less likely to have to pay when you are not at fault unfairly. Many insurance companies actually reduce their annual fees for vehicles that have a dashboard camera. Check with your insurance provider to see if a dashboard camera would reduce your payments. If your insurance company does not do this, compare your current policy to those from other leading providers on the market. You may find a cheaper premium for the same coverage.
- A Camera Enables You to Keep Tabs on Your Vehicle
If many drivers share your vehicle, like teen drivers or a spouse, having a dashboard camera will help you keep tabs on where your vehicle is going, and will also make young drivers drive more cautiously.
- Your Less Likely To Get Your Car Stolen
Having a dashboard camera makes it less likely for your vehicle to get stolen, but more likely that the camera itself will be stolen. According to Autoblog, “since they’re conspicuous and somewhat valuable devices, they could be stolen if left out. And if unmounting it and hiding it to prevent its theft is too onerous, you might not set it up when you end up needing it.”
- It’s Affordable and Easy To Install
High end cameras can run you a few hundred dollars, but you can purchase an inexpensive dash camera for as little as $60. You also don’t need to be tech savvy to set up your dashboard camera. All you need to do is insert an SD card into the dash cam, optionally route the power cable around your interior to keep things tidy and mount it on your windshield. When you start driving, the dashboard camera will automatically start to loop record, overwriting only the oldest footage and you’ll have the latest footage you need in the event of a collison.
Having a dash cam is easy, inexpensive, and may reduce your car insurance premium. Get in touch with your provider or try a car insurance calculator to see if it’s worth the investment for your vehicle.