Why You Need A Dash Cam In Your Vehicle

There are many good reasons to stick a dash cam on the windshield of your car, not the least of which is a potential for capturing generally insane behavior of other drivers then posting the footage to YouTube for all eternity. Practical reasons such as being able to prove you weren’t the one who ran that red light and protecting against fraudulent insurance claims are also top-of-mind.

On which side does this writer camp? Both, it seems.

AutoGuide.com thanks Vantrue for sponsoring this Dash Cam Buyer’s Guide Series

These days, dash cams can go far beyond the old-school solutions of using a suction cup (which might or might not stick in varying weather conditions) to affix a forward-facing camera to the windshield of one’s car. It is increasingly common for good quality units to be slickly designed in order to peer forwards into traffic and backwards into the cabin. This is a boon for folks who use their vehicles for Uber or Lyft and the like, allowing them to keep tabs on occupants in case something goes awry.

This type of camera, such as the VanTrue Nexus 4 Pro, can capture nearly as wide a swath of viewing area peering forward as into the cabin. Its recording width of about 160-degrees in both directions is actually more than the field of vision for most humans, meaning these things are just as good or better at seeing what’s going on than your nosy neighbor who appears on her porch every time you bring home another project car. Perhaps that’s just an example which is strangely specific to this writer.

If this feature is important to you, be sure to pick up a cam which utilizes infrared LED lights – the more the better. There are typically four of the things, generally set to automatically work once low light in the car cabin is detected to present a clear black & white image recording.

More common, but no less important, is the rise of rear-facing cameras. These units are generally either an add-on to cams like the VanTrue described above or offered as part of a set. These are usually ever-so-slightly a tad downmarket in terms of resolution compared to the front-facing cam but generally have a wider viewing area. Chaos can strike (quite literally) from just about any angle whilst out on the road.

Knowing the resolution for some of these can be something of an afterthought for cheap off-brand manufacturers, make sure to find a rear-facing cam with robust specs from a good brand like VanTrue. For example, the rear camera included with the Nexus 4 Pro package uses 2MP night vision sensors developed by Sony, along with HDR multi-exposure technology. In plain English, this means the unit can capture maximum image detail in high contrast scenes, such as being able to clearly read the license plate of cars astern even when their headlights on blasting out high beam rays brighter than the sun.

It's not just calamity while on the move why someone should invest in a good dash cam. Most products have the ability to ‘wake up’ when they sense movement, such as when another car bumps yours during a parking maneuver.

Some companies refer to this feature as a buffered motion detection. For example, this mode can recall 10 seconds of pre-recording that occurred prior to the car being bumped. Once any motion around the car is detected, the camera (or cameras, if you have front/interior/rear setups) will automatically start recording and save whatever video it captured up to 10 seconds before and 30 seconds after the event occurred. Recent technology on some products can even permit customization so your device can focus on the specific areas which you think may be important. Does the garbage man always bump your car on the passenger side fender? It may be possible to focus your cams that way in case it happens again. For guaranteed results, be sure to spring for the (sometimes) optional hardwire kit so the cam always has enough power to wake itself.

Most of these features can be controlled or monitored through a smartphone app, giving owners just one more item in their toolbox for being safe on the road – and whilst parked.