Dash Cam 'Black Box'

[Legs]

Now that cars are so computerised, and 'Crash for Cash' and insurance fraud are so prevalent, is it time to introduce 'Black Box' gadgets into cars during production as a standard fit? They could include:

• Cameras front, rear (at driver eyesight level) and aimed at the driver - shows what other drivers are doing and that the driver is awake and alert, not playing with a phone or radio etc and looking where is is going.
• A display of whether the driver is accelerating, slowing, braking or on Cruise Control.
• A display showing what lights are on at the time of an incident. Headlights, indicators, fog lights, main beam, brake light.
• A speed reading.
• Tyre pressures.
• Temperature and whether windscreen wipers are in use.
• Steering angle.

With all of this it would make the investigation of an RTC, incident or crime easier and quicker. Insurance rates would drop as fraud would be harder. 'Crash for cash' attempts would be easier to prove and thus refuse payouts. The driver could prove he was doing things correctly if an incident occurred safer for the driver as he could prove he was not at fault.

Almost all of this information is already going through the car's computer so it should be fairly easy and inexpensive to incorporate the system which could be in a crash proof box like Airlines use (wouldn't need to be as big or strong). The recording could go to duplicate memory cards - One for Police, one for driver/insurance company.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Tedsson]

I think it's a great idea.

It would quickly establish who was responsibie for accidents and would definitely make the guilty party easier to identify, as is shown quite clearly in this short dashboard cam recording.

 

[Steven]

First and most important question.

How much will this cost.

 

[eodmatt]

Now that cars are so computerised, and 'Crash for Cash' and insurance fraud are so prevalent, is it time to introduce 'Black Box' gadgets into cars during production as a standard fit? They could include:

• Cameras front, rear (at driver eyesight level) and aimed at the driver - shows what other drivers are doing and that the driver is awake and alert, not playing with a phone or radio etc and looking where is is going.
• A display of whether the driver is accelerating, slowing, braking or on Cruise Control.
• A display showing what lights are on at the time of an incident. Headlights, indicators, fog lights, main beam, brake light.
• A speed reading.
• Tyre pressures.
• Temperature and whether windscreen wipers are in use.
• Steering angle.

With all of this it would make the investigation of an RTC, incident or crime easier and quicker. Insurance rates would drop as fraud would be harder. 'Crash for cash' attempts would be easier to prove and thus refuse payouts. The driver could prove he was doing things correctly if an incident occurred safer for the driver as he could prove he was not at fault.

Almost all of this information is already going through the car's computer so it should be fairly easy and inexpensive to incorporate the system which could be in a crash proof box like Airlines use (wouldn't need to be as big or strong). The recording could go to duplicate memory cards - One for Police, one for driver/insurance company.

What are your thoughts?

Good idea but insurance rates won't drop insurance companies are too greedy,

 

[Legs]

First and most important question.

How much will this cost.

Good idea but insurance rates won't drop insurance companies are too greedy,

I can't see why it should cost more than a few hundred pounds. Insurance companies already offer discounts for some safety gadgets. This could/should result in bigger discounts.

 

[jarrod248]

Cars will be driving themselves soon, kick your sling backs off and have a cocktail

 

[Legs]

Cars will be driving themselves soon, kick your sling backs off and have a cocktail

I think it will be a long, long time before that happens. Too many idiots on the road and the technology needs to vastly improve first.

 

[jarrod248]

I think it will be a long, long time before that happens. Too many idiots on the road and the technology needs to vastly improve first.

Better check google then.

 

[tazmanian_clogdancer]

My daughters car has one of those telemetric boxes that the insurers can use to see how well she's driving and also if there's a sudden stop or bang it sends out a message giving the location. It's a bit big brother but then it lowers her premium.
Cameras on trucks have been standard for a while for some companies and now every biker seems to have one. If you've the time YOUTUBE BJG solutions deliberately to see a recent case of an ex squaddie driving a truck having a fall out with a motorcyclist and see if you think he was in the wrong ( It went to court).

 

[JoeCivvie]

I'd say about 50% of cars in Hong Kong have at least forward-facing cameras now.

 

[Provost]

Good idea. The default position adopted by insurance companies when dealing with minor contested claims is to automatically award a 50/50 at fault.

I used to have a voluntary 'legal assistance' addition to my insurance policy. I had cause to make use of it during a contested claim. At Crown Court the matter was found in my favour. However, having taken a day off work and having presented my own case, the only thing that I got out of it was the reimbursement of my excess payment.

The real winners were my insurers, who reclaimed the repair and other costs from the other party's insurers - all at my expense.

Don't bother with 'legal assistance', it's just another extended warranty scam.

 

[Lacking Moral Fibre]

I think it is the future, I know Fire engines, ambulances and buses have them all round. I have fitted a forward facing dash cam in the car but when could do with one facing the rear for all those tailgaters out there.
Me ma was sat at a busy junction waiting to pull out in her L/Rover freelander when she was rear-ended by a pikey in a hire car. He claimed mum had reversed at speed into him. He called the police and ambulance as he claimed him and his two passengers were injured, they all went to AE using two ambulances, feck knows what that cost the NHS and Police. Naturally they all claimed compensation for injuries. After a vast amount of stress and trouble for mum who fought the case the gypo's (they were) lost interest and disappeared. Enterprise car rentals lost a new passat as well as the cost mentioned above. A rear facing camera would have paid for its self there and then.

 

[eodmatt]

I can't see why it should cost more than a few hundred pounds. Insurance companies already offer discounts for some safety gadgets. This could/should result in bigger discounts.

What I said was that the insurance companies will not lower their costs as they are too greedy.

Some insurance companies might do special offers when people have such equipment fitted but as soon as it becomes law the insurance companies add any savings that are made to their profits.

Not that I think that the addition of cameras and a black box type recorder is a bad thing at all.

 

[4(T)]

First and most important question.

How much will this cost.

Probably next to nothing.

Camera systems are only a few hundred quid for a custom-fitted installation. Maplins-type are less than a hundred. The technology itself is peanuts - its no more than is in a cheap mobile telephone.

 

[The_Duke]

What I said was that the insurance companies will not lower their costs as they are too greedy.

Some insurance companies might do special offers when people have such equipment fitted but as soon as it becomes law the insurance companies add any savings that are made to their profits.

Not that I think that the addition of cameras and a black box type recorder is a bad thing at all.

Motor insurers run at very low profit margins for basic motor insurance as despite the claims levels competition is high. Fraud is a massive component of the claims activity - remove that and the overall cost of your motor insurance will drop. Market forces guarantee it.

 

[Legs]

I must admit that my standard of driving has improved since I fitted a front facing and driver/rear facing camera. I'm more aware that if I do anything stupid then I would have the admission of liability in my camera. This could also be a positive factor if these systems were fitted.

 

[BiscuitsAB]

I have a unit that does front and rear view 1080p on the front and 720p on the back, it records GPS data, and has a force gauge in it, it comes with a whole suite of software that play all the data back on one screen. I got it last month and it was £200 all in.

 

[eodmatt]

Motor insurers run at very low profit margins for basic motor insurance as despite the claims levels competition is high. Fraud is a massive component of the claims activity - remove that and the overall cost of your motor insurance will drop. Market forces guarantee it.

I wish I had your confidence!

 

[RZer0]

This is great site for dashcams reviews.
http://www.techmoan.com/

 

[The_Duke]

I wish I had your confidence!

It is a highly competitive market. As soon insurers believe profit percentages are high enough to be attractive, people start to undercut each other to steal the business. This continues until they suffer a loss, when prices go up again. This is all good until such time as someone decides that the profit percentages are attractive enough, and round we go again.

The margin operates within a fairly consistent cycle, but the cost to the consumer is cost of claims + cost of operating the business + margin (in massively simplified terms). The lower the cost of claims, the lower the cost of your insurance.