One gadget that can help reduce such hit-and-run incidents is a dashboard camera, commonly referred to as ‘dashcam’. A dashcam is an onboard camera that records the view through a vehicle’s front windscreen and sometimes rear or other windows. Some dashcams also include an interior 360-degree camera to record the vehicle’s cabin. A dashcam is usually powered through the car’s auxiliary port, and most models would record automatically when turned on, thereby overwriting old footage once storage is full.
On the occasion of the ongoing National Road Safety Week 2024, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of dashcams and how they can actually help bring down the rising number of hit-and-run cases in India –
- A dashcam works as an evidence of any incident that your vehicle is involved in. Having a footage of the events that happened with the exact date and time can help strengthen your case if you get into legal trouble. In a hit-and-run situation, a dashcam would be able to capture the registration number of the vehicle that caused the incident, which could later be produced as evidence in a court of law.
- It can also help you avoid getting into road rage incidents. With a dashcam installed, the vehicle owner can take legal action against such offenders. It will be easier for police to track down the perpetrators with the help of the footage shot by a dashcam.
- A dashcam can also help you from getting harassed by cops. False allegation charges can be fought with the footage obtained from the camera.
- It can help monitor your driving, thereby helping you make adjustments if needed. In a scenario where you lend your vehicle to someone or have a chauffer drive it, you can monitor their driving habits. Some, more premium dashcams also provide real-time driving data, and offer autonomous safety features like lane departure alert, forward collision warning, and more.
“However vigilant you are as a driver, accidents often happen because of someone else’s mistake on the road. And almost all of us who’ve ever driven on Indian roads have witnessed or been a part of endless arguments to prove who’s mistake it was in reality. Furthermore, over the past few years there has been a dangerous rise in hit & run cases as well. Dashcams prove their worth in not just identifying the offenders in such cases but the presence of these devices also acts as a solid deterrent in preventing such incidents in the future,” Nikhil Rajpal, CEO, Hero Electronix.
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A host of mass-market cars are now offered with a factory-fit dashcam including the likes of Hyundai Exter, Venue, Alcazar and Skoda Slavia. We expect other manufacturers to jump on this growing trend soon too.
Do you think dashcams should be made mandatory for new cars sold in India, and would you purchase it for your existing vehicle? Let us know your views in the comments down below.