# Dash Cams



## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

I just put a Dash Cam in my van very cool.

I think the driving is getting much worse judging by what I see so since I've only ever been in one accident some forty years ago and with the number of cyclist bouncing in and out of traffic doing strange things I thought its time for a witness the dash cam.


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## Jon_Snow (May 20, 2009)

Probably a smart move Dan. I have spent a fair bit of time driving around in your town - easily the worst drivers I've ever encountered.


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## dh88 (Mar 10, 2014)

What kind of dash cam do you have, or suggest?


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

I want one, too.

I have been searching around. Which one did you get, Dan?

I heard the BlackVue's are pretty good and low budget.

My problem is that I don't like the wire trail. Since I have a convertible, I cannot put the wire into the headliner.


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## 6811 (Jan 1, 2013)

KaeJS said:


> I want one, too.
> 
> I have been searching around. Which one did you get, Dan?
> 
> ...


I've been using a MyVue358 for the last few months. I mounted it to the right of my rear view mirror and the wire was long enough to run just under the windshield molding and under the dash to a centre console DC outlet. 

Frankly I was a bit disappointed with it. For all the hype about HD video it's tough to pick out license numbers unless you are stopped right behind a vehicle. It also behaves somewhat like a rear-view mirror in that "objects appear further away than they actually are" when you play it back. There's been a couple of times that some moron has begun to cross over into my lane and caused me to start to swerve to avoid him yet on the video it doesn't look like a near head-on collision at all. 

Perhaps I expected too much from what these things are designed to do, merely record an accident.


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## 6811 (Jan 1, 2013)

Road rage at its finest! (Not my dashcam)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201083888603369&set=vb.1353153435&type=2&theater


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

6811,

I have seen that one before, but it never gets old.

The SUV timed it perfectly.

Have you ever sat on Youtube and watched the Russians? Man... no offence to anyone if you are russian - but they really can't drive over there and the road rage is bad. 90% of those people have bats and pipes in their car.

You can just search for "Russian car crash compilation" and there is endless hours of dash cam footage...


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## 6811 (Jan 1, 2013)

KaeJS said:


> 6811,
> 
> I have seen that one before, but it never gets old.
> 
> ...


Yeah KaeJS, I have watched more than a few minutes of Russian Dashcam footage leading up to my buying my own unit. Just when you think you have seen it all.... :distress::cower:


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

The Blackvue was THE camera to get in 2011. Today there are higher quality cameras for less money.

Here is a list of many: http://dashcamtalk.com/

Here's the one I have: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdPHXv8Hzj8


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Not that i have anything to hide but am i the only one who is uncomfortable with the 'eye in the sky'everything now is recorded and video taped everything.
I know it is here to stay because of technology and people's desires to record for various reasons but nothing is sacred anymore.
The flip side is that at any moment anybody could be recorded by anyone and never know it....something about that doesn't settle with me but it is what it is!


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## tygrus (Mar 13, 2012)

So can you take the footage to the cops and they will track down anyone who is driving dangerously, or do they just ignore it?


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

Depends how dangerous it is. If it's something extremely dangerous then probably.


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

donald said:


> Not that i have anything to hide but am i the only one who is uncomfortable with the 'eye in the sky'everything now is recorded and video taped everything.
> I know it is here to stay because of technology and people's desires to record for various reasons but nothing is sacred anymore.
> The flip side is that at any moment anybody could be recorded by anyone and never know it....something about that doesn't settle with me but it is what it is!


Usually a dash cam only records directly in front of the car, so you're unlikely to be on somebody's camera unless you're right in front of their car.

Wait till Google Glass and all the chinese clones that will inevitably follow become ubiquitous.


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## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

KaeJS said:


> I want one, too.
> 
> I have been searching around. Which one did you get, Dan?
> 
> ...


I went with the 4Sight Dash Cam 2 I like that it has two lenses and can be aimed front and side or back. 
But at 200.00 I could have bought two or three others that work just as well.


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## 6811 (Jan 1, 2013)

Daniel A. said:


> I went with the 4Sight Dash Cam 2 I like that it has two lenses and can be aimed front and side or back.
> But at 200.00 I could have bought two or three others that work just as well.


The Wirecutter website recommends the G1W: http://thewirecutter.com/leaderboard/cameras/
Worth reading if you're serious about getting a dashcam.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Tha G1W looks really good for the price, might have to get one of those just for the fun of it.

I did setup a wireless IP camera in my car a while back but it didn't have built-in recording, just wifi phone/tablet viewing. Was kind of neat to watch your car in the parking lot from inside a restaurant as long as you stayed within 100m of it. I see that TrendNET has a new HD IP camera out for ~$85 with microSD recording, might look into hooking up one in the car and can always use it for home use if it fails as a dashcam.


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## Taraz (Nov 24, 2013)

Why don't you just use your smartphone (assuming you have one)? With a bluetooth OBD2 connector, you can even detect when your car accelerates/decelerates suddenly. They only cost about $15. Then you can pair them with apps that cost $5 or less.


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

Because that requires that you remember to do it every ride. The one time you forget to set it up, or decide not to set it up because you figure it's just a quick drive to the corner store, that's when you'll get in an accident. The idea behind a dash camera is that you set it up and forget it and never have to touch it again.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Is the general idea behind the dash cam to prevent the problems of hit and runs?Generally speaking esp with the forensics that are applied in a accident through public insurance it's hard to be 'wrongfully' victimized.
I have been in a few accidents in my life time and usually it is never a problem(the adjusters are pretty well trained to detect fraud)I am being serious is it because of the chance you would find yourself sherlock in the above situation?
Now a Cam that records while a car park,i can see this as a good idea(theft and parking lot incidents but not so much actually auto accidents)


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## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

With the number of cyclist on the roads in Vancouver a dash cam is the best defense.
Many accidents are questionable when it comes to fault, forensics likely would only come into play on very serious accidents.

The number of signs I see around Vancouver asking for witnesses posted at intersections makes a dash cam a valuable tool.


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

New article from July 11. You gotta see this video!

Did a dashcam save this man from a Hamilton parking lot crash scam?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamil...m-a-hamilton-parking-lot-crash-scam-1.2704500


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

After viewing some accidents (not involving me) and "wacky" driving (again, not involving me) in the past fews days I finally got a dash cam as staples had one on sale.
So far it works pretty good, 1080 video gives plenty good views and you never have to fiddle with it as it turns on with the car and cycles the recordings for you.

Not fond of the mount it comes with (bug suction cup type) so I'll have to improvise something, maybe mount it to the rearview mirror.


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## Cdnwife (Sep 10, 2013)

donald said:


> Generally speaking esp with the forensics that are applied in a accident through public insurance it's hard to be 'wrongfully' victimized.
> I have been in a few accidents in my life time and usually it is never a problem(the adjusters are pretty well trained to detect fraud)I am being serious is it because of the chance you would find yourself sherlock in the above situation?)


If you live in BC, yes it is a very real scenario. I was in an accident in 2011. Rear passenger door of my car was damaged from an incident at an intersection that required four way stop procedures due to a power outage. This just settled over three and a half years later as there was disagreement about who was at fault and I was being assigned 50% blame. Friends in ON we're shocked that I was even considered at fault w the location of the damage, but ICBC sure was insistent. Dash cam could have saved me years of angst and headache dealing w this. Issue here is that ICBC represents both parties so they generally look out for their best interest not yours.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

KaeJS said:


> 6811,
> You can just search for "Russian car crash compilation" and there is endless hours of dash cam footage...


We got enough of the nutbars over here. 
Cellphones can also capture enough to call police..especially if confronted with the "Quebec Chainsaw Freddie Kruger" without the mask.
This incident has gone viral on her Facebook.

Now, any time we pick up a chainsaw to "demonstrate our dislike for our fellow man", we can be charged with using a "weapon."



> "He will face charges of assault with a weapon for starters


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...er-chainsaw-used-to-threaten-family-1.3022763


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

carverman said:


> Cellphones can also capture enough to call police.


Of course you'd have to be pulled over and stopped to use a cell phone otherwise you might get a ticket.

I'm not worried about the insurance side, I just bought one for for the entertainment, likely make a compilation video at years's end.


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