Dash Cameras

Insurance - the facts, details, advice & other useful information.
Below is a few bits of information with regards to insurance and how these in car cameras have become a vital part of life for many road users.




Car Insurance Fraud & How much it costs us
We are all victims of car insurance fraud every time we renew our policy; this is by no means a victimless crime. The AA state that on average insurance fraud costs each road user £50 a year on their policy, now that is a lot of money over all those years of driving!

Car insurance fraud cannot just be classed as a financial crime. With Crash for cash & Flash for cash fraudsters are targeting innocent motorists to orchestrate accidents that put lives at risk.

This crime is aimed to cause a deliberate accident as bad as possible to make as much money as possible when claiming. The claims will be fraudulent and exaggerated for vehicle damage, personal injury claims, and other costs resulting from this staged ‘accident’ and these funds have often been linked to more serious crimes.

Over £390 million every year!
In 2006 it was decided to set up The Insurance Fraud Bureau to help clamp down on spiralling insurance fraud. The IFB published their report in 2013 on the ‘crash for cash’ problem and it was estimated that the annual cost of this type of fraud was £392 million with an estimated 1 in 7 of all personal injury claims being linked solely with ‘Crash for Cash’.

Crash for Cash - How does it work?
Crash for cash is when a vehicle tries to deliberately get you to crash into the back of another vehicle, either directly into them, or in a pair of tricksters with a distraction on the car in front braking, causing the so called innocent party in the middle to brake, who you then hit. The first vehicle speeds off, leaving you and the car you hit cursing the car that is driven off, however the car you hit is in on this set up also!

Scenario 1:
A car pulls in front of you quickly, and then instantly brakes sharply, giving you no chance to avoid going into the back of them.

Scenario 2:
A car pulls in front of you and then accelerates away from you at traffic lights or a roundabout only to brake sharply as you approach and for no obvious reason giving you no chance to avoid going into the back of them.

Scenario 3:
When approaching a zebra crossing, despite the crossing being totally clear the car in front slams on the brakes causing you to crash into the back of them.

Scenario 4:
The fraudsters disconnect their brake lights giving you absolutely no warning at all when they sharply brake leaving it inevitable that you will collide into the back of them, the brake light is quickly and simply reconnected again leaving you looking like the party that is lying.

Who is most likely to be targeted?
Gangs will target vehicles most likely to be insured and they will also target drivers they think are least likely to cause a scene, so sadly they often target mums with children in the car, older drivers, well maintained cars and cars with private plates are all at higher risk, sounds cowardly huh?

Well you can fight back!
All of the above can be defended and proven with an in car accident camera / dash cam fitted. Not only that, but if the gangs and fraudster see that the vehicle is equipped with a dash cam / in car camera you will be less likely to be a targeted victim. So you can protect you and your family with an in car camera.

Flash for Cash - How does it work?
As the title suggests really. ‘Flash for Cash’ is the newest phenomenon where fraudsters will flash their headlights at you, giving the impression of a helpful motorist beckoning you out of a junction, shops, petrol station, lane, only to then speed up and induce the crash for which you will appear to be the blamed party! They will often get out the car, shouting that you pulled out on them without looking, and deny all knowledge of flashing them. How do you prove otherwise?

Well you can fight back!
As with ‘Crash for Cash’ you have the solution. With an Accident camera, in car camera or dash cam you have the proof that the car stopped to let you out, flashed to let you out, only to then smash into you. Again as with ‘Crash for Cash’ if they see you have the camera installed then you have an increased chance of being left alone, and not becoming a victim.

Additional advice to help reduce the chance of becoming a victim

• Have your in car camera supplied and installed to be permanently wired, safely powered and neatly installed to help reduce your chances of being targeted, and if you are unfortunate enough to be targeted have the proof to prove you were not at fault.
• Look well ahead and anticipate all possible hazards
• Do not assume that the flashing of headlights is a signal that all is clear and it is OK to proceed. Make sure you still use your own judgement and proceed with care (Highway Code rule 111)
• Do not assume, when waiting at a junction that a vehicle coming from the right and signalling left will actually turn. Wait and make sure (Highway Code rule 170)
• Leave plenty of space to the car in front at all times, especially at junctions, pedestrian crossings, and adverse weather conditions.
• Be wary of a vehicle in front driving erratically or slowing down for no apparent reason.
• If you suspect that the car in front has brake lights that are not working, and then keep well out of their way.

What to do if you have been a victim?
Below is some sound advice if you think you have been a victim

• If you have one of our cameras make sure you check your device, make sure the unit has logged the incident and store in a safe place until you can download the data. Then as soon as you can get to your computer down load the data immediately, if you can make several copies on different devices. Review the footage and prepare in an email for your insurance company, and if needed for the police also.
• Do not admit liability for anything at the scene.
• Do not challenge the other driver directly with your suspicions, keep tight lipped and keep your data safe.
• Take written notes and photographs of what happened including descriptions of the other driver, and any passengers in the vehicle along with what was said.
• Take as many photos as you can, we suggest discreetly if possible and include the general scene, any damage on either vehicle, and the inside of the other vehicle showing the number of occupants.
• Insist on calling the police and tell them of your suspicions.
• Check for independent witnesses, but be on guard and keep your wits about you as fraudsters can plant witnesses as part of the scam.
• Report the incident to your insurance company as soon as you can and tell them of your suspicions, and if you have one of our in car cameras tell them you have the incident recorded and a backup of that video ready to email them and the police if needed.
• Report the incident to the Insurance Fraud Bureau’s Cheat line on 0800 422 0451

Accident Cameras - In Car Cameras / Dash Cams
In car cameras and dash cams are becoming a fast growing industry with more and more drivers protecting themselves. In Car cameras / dash cams continuously record, in HD quality onto either internal memory, or a memory card. The data can be saved and viewed on your computer along with speed, date, time and GPS location; you are then able to share this valuable data with both the police, and your insurance company. Insurance companies welcome this technology and encourage these cameras to be used and in some cases will offer premium discounts on your policy when you can show them you have an in car camera / dash cam fitted and in use.

The Benefits!
Accident Cameras - In car cameras / dash cams are small devices that record your journey. You can place these on your dashboard, windscreen, or have one of our professional installers come to you and fit this professionally for a neat, wire hidden solution. The cameras will continuously record your journey and log of events providing you with a complete video footage of your drive.

Accident!
If you are in the unfortunate position to have had an accident, and you know it is not your fault, then you have a recorded dated log. This is also useful for any small knocks you have that at the time everything seems fine, you both agree no action is needed and off you go, only to later find the other driver has ‘suddenly’ developed whip flash and starts a claim against you!

Another key advantage of these cameras is just the fact that other driver can see you have it, or know you have it, can reduce accidents and claims as they know the evidence is against them if their claims are false.

Evidence
No doubts, long fights, legal battles and increased premiums now. You have undoubtable recorded and logged evidence for any accident.

An electronic witness recording as you drive
You have a witness in your car, with you at all times, recording.

Insurance!
It is estimated that £392 million every year is paid out against false claims and accidents (that is a figure added to all of our annual premiums), all of which can be reduced or wiped out if a camera was used to record the accident or event.

Speeds up insurance claims
Having a logged, dated and timed recording of your accident / incident will help to speed up the process and time a claim takes, along with reducing paper work and false claims to defend.

Can reduce your insurance premium
Depending on which camera you choose and who your insurance providers are it is quite normal to be offered a discount on your insurance, sometimes up to 15% by having one of our in car cameras. So well worth making that call to your insurers once you have purchased your in car camera / accident camera / dash cam. Installation of your camera will also benefit in this instance as the insurers will know the camera is always in use.

Safety!
Cameras prove to increase road safety for everyone from other road users, to yourself, and to your passenger.

Prevention
Just having the camera in a vehicle can prevent problems. Crash for Cash vultures are looking and choosing their victims carefully, and if they see a camera in your vehicle, they are unlikely to target you, it’s not a guarantee, but you are certainly less likely to become a victim with a dash cam installed.

Improves driver behaviour
It is proven that drivers with cameras installed in the vehicle find an improvement in their driving safety and habits. You are less likely to tail gate, brake hard, speed, and you will generally become very aware of your driving habits, which more often than not will result in improved driver behaviour and safety, all because that little in car camera is safely installed in your vehicle.

Reduces road rage incidents
Having an accident camera installed can potentially improve driver safety. The knowledge that you have a camera in your vehicle recording means you are less likely to experience a road rage incident, again not guaranteed, but seeing a camera in your vehicle will make people think twice.

Improves driver and passenger safety
If you carry passengers for a living having a camera protects you and them. Ideal for any trade that involves having unknown people in the vehicle with you, and reassuring for potential guests in your vehicle that they are safe in the knowledge the journey is being recorded.

Accident Cameras - In Car Cameras / Dash Cams
Our In Vehicle cameras will give you peace of mind and safety when on the roads. We have a wide choice of cameras ranging from dash cams, forward facing cameras, forward & driver facing cameras, commercial cameras & many other possible solutions.

Below we have a run-down on how these cameras work & what technology is involved.

Main uses:
Accident Recording
Journey Recording
Driver & Passenger Safety
Security
Insurance Evidence
Insurance - to reduce premium (subject to provider)

Key Features & Technologies of Accident Cameras - In Car Cameras / Dash Cams

GPS Tracking
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. The internal GPS chip will, via satellite positions provide an accurate position, time and speed of journey for your car camera recording. This ensures you have accurate data stored on your device should this ever be needed.

How do they record the data?
Most in car cameras will become live and record as soon as you turn on your ignition and the unit becomes powered. Most units will have a button on that you can press to log an incident or event for later use. Once the memory is full, or unless a date period is selected, the in car accident camera will then go into Cyclic Recording which means the new data will automatically start to record over the oldest data.

How is the data downloaded?
The accident cameras will record the data onto the memory of the devise, or a memory card inserted into the dash cam. This can then be plugged into a computer and you can download the file, you are then able to watch the recordings within the software provided, you are able to save the file if needed and send the file via email or data if needed.

Motion Detection
Some in car cameras will work with motion detection. This is when the camera has the ability to register a change in the vehicle, such as being hit whilst parked, the motion detection will activate the dash cam to start recording and log the event.

G Sensor
This is when the crash sensor of the accident camera detects the level of gravitational force (G-Force). This is a measurement of acceleration felt as weight/force, for example sudden impact, such as a crash or shunt. When this occurs the dash cam will automatically protect the latest files so they cannot be deleted.

Visual Display
Some dash cams will come with a display, whilst others will have no display for the driver. Either is fine, but the advantage of having a screen is that it will be possible to play back any events and show other parties whilst on the site of the incident, including the police if required.




Forward Facing Camera
Forward facing cameras are in car cameras that have one lens, pointed forward towards the road and record your journey. Some will have audio recording also, and some will have a screen, but forward facing cameras are purely for recording the road and any accidents or incidents on that road.




Forward & Driver Facing Cameras
This is a dual camera system offering an internal driver facing camera in addition to the forward facing camera. This is ideal for people that want to record for driver safety, for drivers that may carry passengers, taxis, driving instructors, coaches, or any vehicle that may require it. They can be used for internal thefts, car jacks or many other reasons. Some people just like to have them to record their reaction!




Third Camera
Some in car cameras / dash cams will allow for a third input/third camera, in additional to the Forward & Driver facing camera. This can be used to look out of side windows, rear windows, or ideal for taxis that need one accident camera pointed to the road, the second dash cam on the driver, and the third in car camera pointing at the passengers.




Commercial Cameras
Any of the standard cameras can be used for commercial vehicles, however with some legislation in place specific set-ups are required and we can cater for those needs. If you cannot see the solution on the website, or need help and advice, then we have corporate account Manager's available to help with proposals, ranging from side cameras, DVR recorders, secure locked data, monitors, reverse cameras, beepers, internal trailer cameras and all possible scenarios.