A small accident last month left a colleague really frustrated! A scooterist darted out of a one-way and clipped the front end of his car. Result: Scooterist landed on the road and a few scratches on his prized car. A heated exchange followed with the two-wheeler rider blaming the colleague for just driving a larger vehicle. It didn’t matter that the scooterist broke the one-way rule! A compromise was quickly worked out and they went their separate ways. ``That was so wrong, I wish I could have recorded that incident and reported it to the cops,’’ the colleague fretted.
Many car owners would have had similar experiences. Sometimes being harassed for the mistakes of other motorists and being victims too. There is a silver lining though: The Dashcam or the Car Digital Video Recorder.
A nippy accessory that is gaining popularity in India for exactly the above reasons. In simple terms, a DVR is a camera/video recorder that can be mounted on your dashboard and records and stores everything that happens in front of your vehicle.
Cost and Brands
With a whole range of dashcams in the market now, prices have fallen and you should be able to source some decent kits between Rs 3,000 and Rs 15,000. There are a lot of brands out there, the popular ones being Transcend Drive Pro 100 or 200, Blaupunkt DVR 20, Papago, Garmin and a whole lot of Chinese and Taiwanese brands. All you have to do is pay attention to some of the pointers below.
Must have Features
· Image Quality: Look for a system that can record at 1080P or 720P video resolution for best results. There are cameras with higher resolutions and memory cards, but cost more.
· Wide Angle Lenses: Look for a product with wide angle lenses to capture a wider area as you drive. I recommend 110-120 degrees. Many come with 140-170 degree wide angle coverage.
· Low Light Recording capability: Very important as one also drives after dusk. Look for explicit Low Light Sensitivity ratings. LED night visions on lower-end cameras are ineffective and should be avoided as image quality is often compromised by the reflection from the windshield.
· Loop Recording: An absolute must to make sure your camera doesn’t just stop recording when it runs out of disc space. Loop recording ensures that once the storage is full, the camera automatically overwrites the oldest files on the memory card.
· Save Functions and G Sensors: A save file button, or “emergency” button allows the user to mark the current video footage for safekeeping. So if you want to quickly capture an incident and not lose it, just click on this button. There are also cameras with a G-sensor which automatically saves footage when it senses impact.
· Size Matters: Smaller the better as it helps to be discreet.
Installing the DashCam
Most cameras can be wired and installed by just following the user manual. Dashcams typically come with a suction cup that can be mounted on the dashboard or front windshield. The best place is on the front windshield just behind the rear view mirror or on the centre of your dashboard. This gives the largest field coverage. Once done, plug it into the 12v socket or cigarette lighter.
But, I recommend an expert here who will hard wire it directly so that the DashCam gets switched on once the ignition is turned on. The wiring also will be concealed.
The DashCam is a great accessory to own. Use it to capture long drives or when some not-so-smart drivers charge in on you from the wrong side.
Until next time then, happy recording and drive safe.
(Sandeep Sahadevan is an auto enthusiast and anything on wheels moves him. Write to him for advice at editor@northbangalorepost.com or northbangalorepost@gmail.com)
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