Dashcams - False sense of security?

[gobbo]

Since starting a new job in June my road miles have dropped significantly (15-20k a year, down to about 8k), as such I don't know if what I've noticed is isolated, or common.

Dashcams, I understand why people have them, but I've noticed that the standard of driving displayed by people with them is poor! No signals, no lane discipline, tailgating, excessive speed, no mirror checks.

This isn't to say all people with/without dashcams drive badly, far from it, but on the 2-3 recent occasions I've been cut up on a roundabout, had a car change lanes without looking, or (most recently) someone overtake a row of queuing cars then run a red light and finally go the wrong way down a one-way street, all have had dashcams.

Do dashcams give people a false sense of security, thinking they can drive however they like because if something bad happens, it must be the other person's fault as they have a camera? Discuss.

 

[paradigm]

I think the nextbase TV advert with the two toddlers sums up the mentality of your typical dashcam owner

 

[sovietspybob]

You see it a lot with all the youtube compilations, people do seem to drive differently to try and 'prove a point' that they are somehow always in the right, right up to and including causing entirely avoidable accidents.

Me and the missus play a game while out in the car now of 'if we owned a dash cam we'd...' and point out where we'd have honked/sworn loudly/accelerated upto for no reason/tailgated someone. We find it entertains us anyway

I did have a dash cam myself until i was made to take it down by the police because of the place i work being illegal to film in the car park! Since then and the advent of all the rubbish on youtube I've never wanted to fit it to one of my other cars.

 

[Maccapacca]

Slows the roads down and imparts a them and us selfish attitude.

People don't let others out anymore and everyone knows their rights on the road. No forgiveness.

 

[[TW]Fox]

The majority of videos on YouTube seem to show people speeding up when people pull out and generally trying to make everything as big a deal as possible.

 

[Nasher]

Dash cam drivers are no where near as bad as cyclist helmet cam warriors though.

Just look at that Jeremy Vine bloke for example. Starts an argument at every opportunity, even when theres really nothing to see lol

 

[Jamesyboyjim]

The majority of videos on YouTube seem to show people speeding up when people pull out and generally trying to make everything as big a deal as possible.

The people who behave like that are the ones who want to cause as much drama as possible and I'd hazard a guess they did the same thing before dashcams. Like with those bad audi and bmw drivers, they have created a negative stereotype when the reality is most are just as good a driver as anyone.

My mum for example has one, twice now its helped her out, once she got rear ended at some traffic lights with the offending car lying saying my mum rolled back into her The other, a transit van with a big bar attached to the back reversed into her at a petrol station and tried to lie about that too.

 

[UKDTweak]

I believe that the people you think are bad drivers due to having a dashcam, are in fact just bad drivers who were exactly the same before they got their cam.
I recently got a cam fitted and i find myself actually thinking... better leave more space or better slow down, as i know there is a record of my driving now being saved.

 

[Howard]

I have a dashcam because a) I like tech and gadgets and b) One day it might come in handy.

Since fitting it over 2 years ago I don't think I've ever pulled any footage off it, since nothing noteworthy has happened. I could drive angrily towards every single sod that does something remotely stupid on the road, whilst swearing, in order to compile a series of YouTube videos entitled $REGNUMBER WHAT A MORON DANGEROUS DRIVER SHOULDNT HAVE A LICENSE because they performed a minor misdemeanor, but I'm not that idiotic, and unlike these people I can usually tell when someone is about to do something stupid, and act accordingly.

 

[pepsilol]

I have a dash cam. Last time it came out the car was something like 10 months ago to check some recording. For me it goes in the car and is never touched again to the extent I forget it's even there as it's hardwired and hidden away.

Dash cams should be referred to in accidents. Not in close calls or any other of this utter nonsense.

 

[Kuros]

I've got one, but fully agree with the majority of what you say...

Then again, all of these videos on youtube seem like the person driving is "proving" a point. They'd likely do the same before and they do the same after having a camera fitted, it's now they can put it online to make themselves feel better.

As above, I've not pulled footage off of it, (apart from the one time I saw a west midlands bus drive straight through a red light, causing someone to have to jump out the way). Even then I sent it straight to them, rather than putting it up for everyone).

 

[grudas]

I have a dashcam because a) I like tech and gadgets and b) One day it might come in handy.

Since fitting it over 2 years ago I don't think I've ever pulled any footage off it, since nothing noteworthy has happened. I could drive angrily towards every single sod that does something remotely stupid on the road, whilst swearing, in order to compile a series of YouTube videos entitled $REGNUMBER WHAT A MORON DANGEROUS DRIVER SHOULDNT HAVE A LICENSE because they performed a minor misdemeanor, but I'm not that idiotic, and unlike these people I can usually tell when someone is about to do something stupid, and act accordingly.

pretty much the same here but I do pull out things out of it..

I don't think I act the same as many dashcamers you see on youtube but if I catch something completely stupid I usually upload it on my channel.

 

[[TW]Fox]

pretty much the same here but I do pull out things out of it..

I don't think I act the same as many dashcamers you see on youtube but if I catch something completely stupid I usually upload it on my channel.

Or you could just go about your life without feeling the need to shame people on the internet for making mistakes?

Or do you upload your own errors too?

 

[AndyCr15]

As someone else said, I often think I need to drive better as if anything happened, my own driving would be judged.

At the same time, I often forget I have it too.

 

[grudas]

Or you could just go about your life without feeling the need to shame people on the internet for making mistakes?

I like watching things like that on youtube my self? shaming would be if someone did an honest mistake which I never upload or care about, things happen and I do mistakes all the time.

proper dangerous stuff that should not happen needs exposing

e.g.

https://youtu.be/hkJdegilxqw

the poor guy surely did a mistake? no point shaming him, we all do mistakes.

cmon fox.

 

[On Holiday]

I really don't understand the anti-dashcam in this section.

Go and have somebody drive into you and claim it was your fault. See how long the process takes if you're lucky and your insurance can't be bothered it might even go 50/50. Enjoy the premiums.

 

[Kuros]

proper dangerous stuff that should not happen needs exposing
e.g.
https://youtu.be/hkJdegilxqw

If it's dangerous enough, ring the non-emergency police number and report it, let them deal with it... Putting it on youtube doesn't really expose it, you've not got the reg there so it's not like people are going to know who did it.

 

[grudas]

If it's dangerous enough, ring the non-emergency police number and report it, let them deal with it... Putting it on youtube doesn't really expose it, you've not got the reg there so it's not like people are going to know who did it.

it doesn't matter, I like having stuff like that on my youtube for my own personal viewing or for others to see.

I honestly don't see the problem with it.

if I drove like that and saw my self on youtube I'd just deal with it because hey, I did drive like a plum.

police is not going to do anything, I've had near death experiences when on two wheels and they do nothing, never mind this

 

[Cuchulain]

I have a front and rear cam, for the first few weeks I can echo the sentiment in this thread but after a while you forget they're there and end up driving normally again.

 

[Gaygle]

Do dashcams give people a false sense of security, thinking they can drive however they like because if something bad happens, it must be the other person's fault as they have a camera? Discuss.

This literally makes no sense whatsoever - there is no logic to this and I don't think anyone thinks this at all. How can the act of having a camera make an incident someone elses fault? The very footage they filmed would prove the opposite if they did something wrong!

What you may be alluding to is the typical cyclist with a helmet cam who tries to make a big deal out of absolutely everything. I'm pretty sure there are car drivers who do the same, but for the majority of people they fit and forget the cameras. It's just an insurance that gives an unbiased, unadulterated view on what happened before/during a collision so that in the event that there was a collision which I did not believe was my fault - I could give my evidence to the insurance company, which may completely negate any untruths the other party may tell.