@JayJayasuriya: November 2016

My recommendation:

I have had a dashcam installed in my car for 2+ years. I've been very happy with my investment. One of the reasons I decided to get one was to become a Lyft driver. After a lot of research and watching many YouTube videos, I decided to take advantage of the deal Fry's Electronics had for this Garmin Dashcam I'm sure the price has gone down now. You can find out the latest price here.

Why should you invest in a DashCam?

Check out this article by Digital Trends on some of the reasons why you should!.
Most Americans are familiar with dashboard cameras nowadays because of the zany videos captured by Russian drivers of insane accidents and exploding comets. Who doesn’t love that stuff? But dashboard cameras really got their start on the jam-packed streets of Asian cities, where drivers contend with swarms of suicidal scooter pilots and tough traffic liability laws. As a matter of self-protection, drivers began recording the view through their windshields to document any accidents.

Now the practice is trickling into the mainstream here in the States. For a professional driver, an at-fault accident can mean a loss of income as well as liability, so truckers, taxi drivers, and many others have turned to video cameras to establish the facts of traffic incidents. Ordinary drivers in America are just now beginning to see the benefit – soon to become a necessity – of dashboard cameras.

Protecting yourself:

It used to be that, in America, we’d only see in-car cameras in racing, both to provide thrilling footage for fans and to document and analyze crash situations. Motorcyclists began using helmet cameras for the same reasons. Dash cameras are also popular with police forces, to provide a clear record of traffic stops. It’s only natural then that there’d be a rise in regular consumer use. Heck, we review quite a few dashcams right here for you.

Dashboard cameras got their start on the jam-packed streets of Asian cities, where drivers contend with swarms of suicidal scooter pilots

Most dashboard cameras simply record the view through the car’s windshield. They have a fixed amount of digital storage and when the storage is full, they recycle the data by overwriting the oldest files. These cameras hold several hours of footage, with the exact time window generally depending on the video quality of the camera and the amount of memory installed. Thus, if a front-end crash occurs, the camera’s got it covered.

More advanced dash cameras include features like GPS tagging to show the exact location, date, and time of each recording, as well as the vehicle’s speed. Advanced cameras also include speed-based driving modes that record differently when the car is moving and when it is stopped, as well as Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity options for video uploads.

Regardless of features, the core function of a dashboard camera is to provide an impartial record of what the driver could see in the moments leading up to an accident. A dash camera can prove that you had a green light, or that the other driver blew through a stop sign before hitting you. Being able to show impartial evidence helps avoid “your word against the other driver” situations after an accident.

The legal benefits of dash cams:

Paul Veillon is an attorney with Galileo Law in Seattle, Washington. With a practice in personal injury and diminished automobile value in traffic cases, Veillon is an expert on traffic law and in working with insurance companies.

“Insurance companies have been engaged in ‘fault shaving’ to a greater extent than ever,” Veillon tells Digital Trends. “Even in clear liability claims, they assert that their driver is only 90% at-fault, at least for the purposes of the property damage claim, to save 10% on collision repair, rental, or total loss charges; knowing that 10% of a claimant’s property damage isn’t enough to justify a lawsuit. Dash cams can help prevent frivolous liability defenses when another driver turns left in front of the owner or pulls from a stop sign or a private parking lot.”

Read more from this original article by Digital Trends: www.digitaltrends.com/cars/its-time-to-protect-yourself-with-a-dash-cam/#ixzz4QNRs26oV
Follow DigitalTrends: @digitaltrends on Twitter | DigitalTrends on Facebook