Dashboard cameras......do any of you have one of these?
I am seriously tempted to get one. There seems to me to be a value in recording what happens especially when towing. We are often 'carved up' or forced to brake severely by inconsiderate or foolhardy drivers and I can see a situation happening when a recording of the incident could save me a lot of insurance hassle.
TonyP

I know you can get apps that allow you to record (but it must be hands free and in a cradle) like you I have thought about it but never got around to doing it, I think I'm also right in saying they have to be configured in a "certain" way?

Might be worth checking up as to whether or not any recorded film/photo would be admisable as evidence as over here in Germany they are not. Seems daft that photos/film after the accident are allowed but events leading up to it are not.

Hi Deeps, I knew there was a difference between their use here and In Germany but I am pretty sure that their pictures are admissible as evidence in our courts. There is actually a system here called PoliceWitness.com which advises on their use (and sells them?) which gets insurance discounts. It is, however, expensive compared with just purchasing one which is what I am intending to do.

ps it occurred to me that even if the 'evidence' was not admissible in court it might still serve to validate an insurance claim or at the least persuade a perp to back down!!!

Quote: Deeps wrote in post #3

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Might be worth checking up as to whether or not any recorded film/photo would be admisable as evidence as over here in Germany they are not. Seems daft that photos/film after the accident are allowed but events leading up to it are not.

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I wish I would have had one on my cycle helmet end of last November hit and run on my bike went right over the back of the car. I must have dented the car but he did not stop. Ambulance called and police one guy thought it may have been a taxi but no proof of this. I had two lights on the rear and two lights on the front plus reflectors. One woman remarked I can not belief you got up from that I was in agony.

I now have four lights on the back and three lights on the front I am lit up like the coca cola advert holidays are coming you know the one. The camera may have got the reg police arrived and checked my brakes and lights all fine. I think the reason for the check was in case they caught the person who hit then he could prove in court no way my fault.

I think they are a great idea my self if only for the reason above.
Morphy.

Which tested several this one I was told came out top
the Nextbase 402g professional @ £148

Much more about these cameras on Caravan Talk
http://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/t...ms#entry1099859

Quote: Morphy wrote in post #6

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I wish I would have had one on my cycle helmet end of last November hit and run on my bike went right over the back of the car. I must have dented the car but he did not stop. Ambulance called and police one guy thought it may have been a taxi but no proof of this. I had two lights on the rear and two lights on the front plus reflectors. One woman remarked I can not belief you got up from that I was in agony.

I now have four lights on the back and three lights on the front I am lit up like the coca cola advert holidays are coming you know the one. The camera may have got the reg police arrived and checked my brakes and lights all fine. I think the reason for the check was in case they caught the person who hit then he could prove in court no way my fault.

I think they are a great idea my self if only for the reason above.
Morphy.

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I tried one out for the coach firm I sometimes drive for, just before Christmas. Our insurance co. had offered it as a test, leading to a potential discount. My impression was that it was good but not brilliant. Plus points: you could get a good idea of what was happening within its field of view; since it was offered by ins. co., they would be probably inclined to accept it as evidence. Minus points: so wide-angle that you get no true impression of distance or speed; uses a lot of memory, so very soon gives you a message to say that incident recording has been suspended; distracting while driving. Also there's a law, probably under Construction and Use, that prohibits you having a device attached to your windscreen, and since it's lens points through the screen there's nowhere else for it to go.

My overall conclusion, though, was that if you picked the right one - not bulky, not too wide-angle, you could turn off the monitor, and with plenty of spare memory - then they're a good idea.

Martyn

I understand that you may not use the monitor in use, in fact many of the cheaper and smaller units do not have monitors at all.
As for memory, proper units are designed to over write previous recordings and can now use memory cards up to 128gb!!!
32 is generally more than adequate for normal use. Some actually come with gps and data logging but I'm not sure that I would want that.
TP

I have one.............only tried it out once for a short trip so far but will probably use it on my van travels later in the year

1080p Digital Dashboard Camera at Lidl £39.99

Beware of using these in France, there are very strict rules on photography, they are treated with great suspicion by the Gendarmerie. I fairly sure that they would get you pulled over, and probably an on the spot fine. I wish we could have one but can't afford the fines. Also remember that it is an offence here to have speed camera warnings on your satnav, and if they stop you they will check, because it's a bit of a revenue earner.

Am just looking in a catalogue www.pearl.fr (gadgets galore) and they are selling a dashboard-mounted camera for Euros139.90. Says it makes a great record of your journeys with its wide-angle lens. Sudden braking will (it says) activate the camera, so if you have an accident, all is recorded for all to see after the event. It refers to this as 'proof'' but at the moment I do not know if the French authorities would accept it as such. GPS is an optional extra and that model comes in at euros 169.90. Bit more expensive than Lidl!
They have cheaper versions as well starting at euros 29.90. Seems you have to buy an HD card in addition. Brand is NavGear while a model at 119.90 is by 'Somikon' (at least, that is what it looks like).

Yes Pete, I've been following Techmoan for quite a while. It's a good site and has excellent info.