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A camera in the dashboard can help if another driver hits your vehicle. A camera can also help you with car insurance.
Dash camera starts at less than $ 100. Most hours of video are recorded in a continuous loop, with recent videos replacing old images when you start the car. The most elegant cameras can record even when the car is switched off, activated by motion sensors, or come with GPS sensors which superimpose time, speed and location. Some offer two-way videos of the road ahead and of the driver and passengers in the car.
No auto insurance company offers discounts if you have a dash camera, so it won't affect your premium. However, this can indirectly affect your premium, which helps keep car insurance rates low. (See "What you need to know about dashboard cameras").
While the simple fact of owning a dash camera does not reduce your auto insurance rates, the images provided by the camera can be invaluable in certain situations.
Here are seven reasons why you might want a dash camera:
1. Keep track of your accident
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Drivers often have completely different memories and descriptions of accidents. With video proof that you are not the driver responsible for a car accident, you can avoid being found guilty by an auto insurance company and receive higher auto insurance rates that go with that conclusion. .
Video from the dashboard camera can also speed up your complaint as it can prevent you from having long discussions with insurance companies about faults.
2. Get out of a ticket
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If you were caught for a traffic violation that you did not commit, please submit your camera images to the dashboard before the ticket is written. If the agent cannot see it, take the pictures to court to dispute the ticket.
Traffic violations normally earn you points on your state driving record and increase your auto insurance rates. Failure to receive a ticket or win a ticket in court due to video evidence that nothing bad has been done, will prevent an unpleasant supplement on auto insurance.
In New York, a two-way camera prevented a driver from being fined for using his cell phone while driving. The officer released the driver without a fine after seeing images from the dashboard camera which showed that the motorist was not talking on the phone, but was scratching and just pulling his ear.
3. Help fight insurance fraud
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If you have the feeling that the accident you were in, or have just witnessed, could have been a "cash accident", give the images of your camera to the concerned insurance companies or to the unit state fraud. insurance, to investigate. Catching a scammer in a simulated accident can indirectly reduce your costs.
The cost of insurance fraud is estimated by the FBI to be over $ 40 billion a year. The agency estimates that the average family spends between $ 400 and $ 700 more in premiums each year due to fraud.
When auto insurers unwittingly settle fraudulent claims, all motorists pay hundreds of dollars more each year because companies share the cost of claims among consumers.
Mercury Insurance's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) often uses videos to help fight insurance fraud. For example, a car collision captured with a dash camera showing a driver making a sudden and unnecessary stop helped the Mercury SIU team defend their insured in a personal injury claim. The evidence from the dashboard camera directly led to the withdrawal of the claim and the pending lawsuit against the Mercury customer.
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4. Become a better driver
Dancers look in the mirror to correct their technique, athletes watch videos of their previous games to improve their game, and you can review your daily driving sequences to become a better driver. Reviewing how you drove last week can help you find ways to correct driving errors, such as braking too hard or changing lanes abruptly.
Being a better driver should lead to a good driving record, which should translate into getting (or keeping) a good driver discount. A good discount for drivers is one of the best discounts for car insurance, as it can go up to 25% and generally extends to most of your car coverage.
5. Check your teen's driving skills
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Drivers under the age of 25 have some of the highest auto insurance rates. Insurers charge them higher rates due to their lack of driving experience and their tendency to crash and cause losses. Anything you can do to prevent your young driver from having an accident or getting a ticket, whether it is likely to increase their already high rates in the stratosphere, is worth the effort.
Establish a regular schedule to review the dash camera images and see what your child can do best and get your child to practice these skills. "A teenager's first month behind the wheel is much more dangerous than the sixth," said Michelle Megna, editorial director of Assurance.com. "Everything you can do to secure those first few kilometers is essential."
A two-way camera or multiple dash cameras for a teenager might be a good idea. In this way, you can not only see how your teenager is driving, but also what is happening inside the vehicle. Is your teenager paying attention to the road or is he texting, on his mobile phone or distracted by passengers? You can limit misbehavior inside the car before it causes an accident or a fine.
The video is an integral part of the American Family Insurance TeenSafe Driver program, which allows parents to view events that triggered irregular or sudden movements on the road.
Maintaining a clean driving record will get your child a good driver discount faster (generally, you must have a clean record license for at least three years to be eligible). There are many ways to lower your insurance for teens or young drivers.
6. Monitor your unattended vehicle
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Most dashboard cameras have an option that allows you to turn it on in standby mode that only allows the camera to turn on if it detects movement in or around the car. So if someone gets in your car or collides with your parked car and takes off, you may be able to review the dash camera images and find the person responsible.
If you can't find the person on your own, you can give the photos to your insurance company to prove how the damage was caused (again this could keep your rates low by preventing you from being held responsible for an incident) and also the police to see if the culprit can be located and held accountable.
7. Capture unexpected events
You can't catch something as amazing as the meteor shower like the owners of the Russian dash cameras captured a few years ago; however, you can catch a deer running down the road, causing your accident, a rock slide that damages your car, or a neighbor's tree that falls on your car during a storm.
With these images in hand, you can show your auto insurance company what caused your claim and save additional costs.
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https://uscsc.org/20-best-dash-cameras-of-2019/
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