Good Thing for the Dashcam

[Ben]

Sorry for the Reddit link. If ever there was a reason for a dascam:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Roadcam/comments/1g6mxn1/usa_ny_scammers_attempt_insurance_fraud/

While it kept the victim from being scammed, in reading the comments, I was annoyed to see that the cops didn't care, and were actually going to blame her until they saw the video. Then they wouldn't file a report, let alone press charges. Apparently she had to jump through hoops to get a report for her insurance.

If you watch the video carefully, you can see that the driver in the background first moved to the passenger seat, then after a red car pulls up and they see they screwed up and that she had a dashcam, he gets in the red car and leaves the others behind.

I was thinking that scams like this, rather than being prosecuted as insurance fraud, should be prosecuted as felony battery at the very least. Backing the car into her like that is using it as a deadly weapon. You could potentially throw in kidnapping, since they stopped her free movement. I would guess they picked her because she was a single female driver.

I have an older dashcam that I don't use anymore just because it's such a bulky mess on the windshield. I guess a lot of newer cars have built in camera/recorders. A video like this certainly has me wanting to look for a modern, tiny dashcam.

[Brad Johnson]

I loathe insurance scammers. Nothing but scummy wastes of oxygen. I also hate police officers and prosecutors who refuse to do anything when an obvious case of vehicular assault is presented to them in a slam dunk case.

I put dashcams in both vehicles a few years back. They haven't saved our hides in the emergency/fraud sense yet, but it did expedite a small insurance claim after a lady bumper-tapped me in August.

I have the Viofo A119 v3 in both vehicles. Physically small and good performance. It's pre-wireless connectivity, though. No real biggie as I carry an SD reader dongle in each vehicle for reading the dashcam SD card from my phone. Works a treat on my Galaxy S22 phone. I also have a Dongar USB tap that intercepts power from the rearview mirror harness. No dangling cigarette lighter power cable.

Brad

[K Frame]

Neighbors were saved from a false claim (not a scam, just an ahole) last year. Not exactly sure what the scenario was, but the guy was claiming one thing when the dash cam footage from my neighbors car clearly showed that he clearly caused the accident by being impatient and trying to whip around them.

He apparently wasn't too happy when, after he told his side of the story the neighbors pulled up their dash cam.

[Kingcreek]

I have considered getting them but fortunately we live in a rural area where our tweakers and lowlifes are too lazy to work a scam. We occasionally drive in a couple larger cities.
So far 🤞 we haven’t needed anything but I keep thinking it’s a matter of when not if.

[K Frame]

I'm still on the fence about getting one, but since I live in Metro DC it's probably better to have one that not.

But I drive so little...

[BobR]

The first three things I did to my truck when I bought it was PPF, ceramic and a 3 channel dash cam. I have a Viofo with wifi for looking at the clips and a 4K front camera. It is wired in so I have parking coverage. I have it set up for 3 minute loops.

Here is a video from the cam. The color striations are there because of the windshield tint and the filter for the lens can't compensate enough. This one gets too hot to touch at times because of the heat here and the normal cam heat but it has yet to stop working because of the heat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZxy609REsw


bob

[Declaration Day]

Watching YouTube videos of accidents and road rage caught on dash cams prompted me to get one just over a year ago.  I have a Redtiger F7N, currently $115 on Amazon. My only complaint is that downloading videos is a bit slow, but I've rarely done it so it's a minor annoyance. I've caught a couple of road ragers on mine, as well as a few near accidents, but have yet to encounter a situation where I've needed footage for the police or insurance.

[HeroHog]

I seldom drive much these days but I get a TON of incidents of BAD driving on our dash cam! Hell, I have a YouTube Channel Dashcam Playlist where I post them all. In fact, I have several that I need to edit and upload now.  Our dash cams, we have had several now, have saved us and others by catching liars and hit-and-run drivers.

Our current cam: https://www.amazon.com/Vantrue-N4-Infrared-Capacitor-Detection/dp/B083V6K8RH
Vantrue N4 3 Channel 4K Dash Cam, 4K+1080P Front and Rear, 1440P+1440P Front and Inside, 1440P+1440P+1080P Three Way Triple Car Camera, IR Night Vision, 24hr Parking Mode, Capacitor, Support 256GB Max

My YouTube Channel Dashcam Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adAswUnbAos&list=PLkchy0Oh4yPTG-jMGj1snxD2XqCZB4PsW

[Bogie]

I had a guy try a swoop and squat when I was driving the Sprinter. Those things are frickin' sports cars... Luckily there wasn't anyone to my left, so I just whipped around him...
 
Back about 30 years ago, a guy was so het up on a pickup basketball game that he crossed over lanes and tagged me head on while trying to turn into a local HS gym... No dash cam, of course... He's yelling and stuff, and the police come, and he's yelling and telling the cop how important his family is, and so on and so forth, and the cop listens for a couple of minutes, turns to me, and says "So, Chuck - How's your mother doing? That resume you typeset for me got me this job."
 
Gigglesnort.

[K Frame]

"Watching YouTube videos of accidents and road rage caught on dash cams prompted me to get one just over a year ago. "

I saw a short one a few days ago where a guy in a sedan was dueling with a motorcyclist.

They stopped at a light -- motorcycle in front, sedan behind, dash cam car behind that -- and the guy in the sedan gets out a pulls a frigging Glock. The motorcyclist hops off his bike and starts booking, and then the sedan guy drops the gun and raises his hands. Few seconds later a couple of cops enter from the side and cuff him.

Cut off at that point. No information on what led to that moment, or what happened afterwards.

[JTHunter]

"Cops don't care unless they see it themselves."

Last summer, I was on a 3-lane road (1 each way with a center turn lane) and had this "African-American female" pass me, the care BEHIND me AND the car behind them !!  She passed all 3 of us in that center turn lane.  About 200 yds. later, she was stopped at a red light and my cam got a good shot of her plates as I was right behind her.  Even with all of this, when I contacted the county sheriff's department, I was basically told the line at the top.   

And we wonder why crime is out of control. 

[griz]

Besides being scammers, they're pretty bad actors.  Look at them holding their heads and necks after getting out.  I've had a car plow into the back of mine (twice!) so I find it funny that somebody would hold their forehead as if it was just slammed into something.

[MechAg94]

"Cops don't care unless they see it themselves."

Last summer, I was on a 3-lane road (1 each way with a center turn lane) and had this "African-American female" pass me, the care BEHIND me AND the car behind them !!  She passed all 3 of us in that center turn lane.  About 200 yds. later, she was stopped at a red light and my cam got a good shot of her plates as I was right behind her.  Even with all of this, when I contacted the county sheriff's department, I was basically told the line at the top.   

And we wonder why crime is out of control. 

Well, yeah.  That would have been a traffic citation more than likely.  I don't want cops writing tickets based on called in reports or based on a video.  Lots of pitfalls in allowing that. 

I see people doing dumb crap all the time.  If they don't hurt anyone, I am not seeing a good reason to call it in short of maybe someone weaving around like a drunk or road raging on someone.

[Kingcreek]

This thread has prompted me to start looking into dash cams.
No experience with any. It seems like I might have a lot to learn. There are crapload of different brands and features. I think I want a 2 channel ie front and rear.
I want something small and unobtrusive that doesn’t require any diddling with to function. Not sure I need gps or tracking. SD card storage might be good in the event there is an event and replay on the phone or download while on scene seems essential.

[Brad Johnson]

Not sure I need gps or tracking.

You do. At the very least the location marker can come in handy, as can the embedded vehicle speed readout (presuming you aren't a habitual grossly excessive speeder).

Brad

[MechAg94]

This thread has prompted me to start looking into dash cams.
No experience with any. It seems like I might have a lot to learn. There are crapload of different brands and features. I think I want a 2 channel ie front and rear.
I want something small and unobtrusive that doesn’t require any diddling with to function. Not sure I need gps or tracking. SD card storage might be good in the event there is an event and replay on the phone or download while on scene seems essential.

I am in the same position.  I thought about it a while back, but never did it.   I think I might have to just pick one and start learning by using.

[Brad Johnson]

Don't angst over it. Once you set the time, date, and recording mode preference, it's pretty much worry-free. The only time I touch mine is when I dismount it to clean the windshield and a preventive card format to or three times a year.

As for two-channel units, they are great in every respect except one... installation. Running the stupid wire is a real PITA sometimes.

Brad

[Ben]

As for two-channel units, they are great in every respect except one... installation. Running the stupid wire is a real PITA sometimes.

Brad

It probably shouldn't be, but this is the biggest reason I have put off getting a new one to mount permanently. I absolutely hate doing anything (like running the camera wire) with interior plastic molding in new cars because I'm scared to death of breaking plastic screws and clips and not getting all the stuff mounted back properly. I'm a nervous nellie everytime I have to replace the cabin filter in my F150 when I hear that loud snap of separating plastic covers getting to the filter housing.

[Brad Johnson]

I'm a nervous nellie everytime I have to replace the cabin filter in my F150 when I hear that loud snap of separating plastic covers getting to the filter housing.

If you have a single-channel unit, you can use the Dongar power taps and not have to worry about running power wire. Goes inline on the rearview mirror harness. Worth every penny of its modest price.

Getting from front to back isn't too horrible, what with wiring channels under the rocker panel covers (they pop right off, simple friction clips). It's the part about running up and around the back glass that gives me the heebies.

Brad

[Ben]

If you have a single-channel unit, you can use the Dongar power taps and not have to worry about running power wire. Goes inline on the rearview mirror harness. Worth every penny of its modest price.

Interesting. I have no idea if my 4Runner has power going to the rear view. I will have to look into that. There's power outlets in the rear cargo area, so a rear camera would probably be almost easier than a front one for running wire.

[K Frame]

I don't have power to my rearview. So, I'd need to figure out something else for a dash cam.

[Brad Johnson]

Interesting. I have no idea if my 4Runner has power going to the rear view. I will have to look into that. There's power outlets in the rear cargo area, so a rear camera would probably be almost easier than a front one for running wire.

https://dongar.tech/pages/toyota-1

Brad

[Brad Johnson]

I don't have power to my rearview. So, I'd need to figure out something else for a dash cam.

None at all? That's genuinely surprising.

Brad

[BobR]

I don't have power to my rearview. So, I'd need to figure out something else for a dash cam.

I ran a wire down to my fuse box and used a spare fuse to power mine, I need it for the parking function.

bob

[Ben]

No power on the 2014 4Runner rearview, unless there's some wiring hidden in the headliner for an optional electric rearview. The 2016 F150 has a cloth casing that looks to have wiring in it.