In Car Dash Cams

Dash cams have gone from being one of the products you find hidden at the back of electronics stores – buried behind obscure cables and door bells – to a popular car accessory.

Though just a few years ago a tiny number of motorists used these cameras, which record the road in front of the car as you drive, they have mushroomed in popularity following the advent of 'crash-for-cash' scams on the road. These scams can see criminals swerve in front of innocent drivers and slam on the brakes, causing the car behind to crash into them.

The criminals then make fraudulent personal injury claims on the unsuspecting motorists' insurance, potentially extorting thousands of pounds in the process. Dash cams, however, are a simple defence against this type of 'crash-for-cash' ploy.

Budget models can be bought from under £15 (though these can offer very poor image quality, especially in darker conditions) and sophisticated versions can cost over £300. Some feature full HD recording, GPS logging (meaning that in the event of an accident, you can prove the time and location) and motion detection, where the dash cam automatically records moments of high G-forces (such as a collision or heavy braking) and prevents these from being overwritten.

Using the camera is a simple as setting up a sat nav. Simply plug the power cable into the12V power supply in your car and mount the camera's sat-nav-style suction pad to the windscreen. The camera should automatically start recording providing a view of the road ahead of the car, overwriting the oldest footage should the memory card fill up.

Should you be involved with a crash this should provide evidence to prove exactly what happened, meaning that even if another driver admitted blame for an accident and then changed their story afterwards, you can show the true story. With good quality you can expect Number plates easily legible on recorded footage and the camera captures a wide view of the road. (Quality drops dramatically at night.)

Another bonus of using a dash cam is that some insurers will give you a discount of up to 15 per cent on your car insurance - however the only real downside apart from having to splash out for it in the first place, is that it can slightly obscure your view of the road, with the power cable dangling down, unless you spend time carefully routing it around the windscreen.