Pros and Cons of Having a Personal Dash Cam in Your Car

With inexpensive dash cams now readily available, more and more people are purchasing them to record what happens around their cars.

Dash cams were used originally only by police due to their expensive cost, but now just about anyone can afford one.

Here are a few pros and cons to having a dash cam in your vehicle:

PROS

1. It can be helpful in accidents.
A car accident, including a hit-and-run, can have major and long-lasting implications. Having a dash cam to record an accident may capture exactly what happened and identifying details, such as the make, model, and license plate of any involved vehicles.

2. Avoid being a victim of a staged accident.
Some scammers try to get the best of individuals by bearing false witness against them and claiming accidents that never happened to get insurance money. A dash cam can help clear a person's name, according to Desjardins Insurance.

3. Prevent and record theft and vandals.
If a dash cam is spotted, sometimes that can protect a person’s car from being stolen for fear of being recorded. If vandals and thieves do attack the car, the camera may capture the act and help with identification later.

4. Monitor driving.
Inexperienced drivers may benefit from looking over their trip and seeing what they could do better when it comes to some difficult maneuvers like parallel parking. Also, parents can use it to see how teenagers are using the car, notes attorneys office Beninato & Matrafajlo.

5. Go viral.
Plenty of videos recorded on dash cams have hit the jackpot on the Internet by filming some sort of humorous incident that occurred on the road. It’s useful for recording sites and memories made on road trips, as well.

CONS

1. It may not be legal.
In some places, recording in public is not always lawful. Make sure to check with local and state laws on recording to avoid ordinance troubles.

2. It could be a distraction.
Especially with cameras that have displays in them, people may become distracted with the gadget, which could cause a safety hazard on the road for them and other motorists.

3. It records the driver’s actions, too.
A dash cam not only records illegal acts of others, but the driver’s own mistakes as well. Depending on the driver, this accountability could be either a pro or a con to having a dash cam.

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