I've just got me a Dash Cam !

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Jul 27, 2016 1:20 pm

I've seen videos on YouTube concerning the use of dash cams (for the uninitiated - a webcam that is secured by suction on the vehicle windscreen and videos the road ahead). I have been amazed at all the different incidents that dash cams can record, and of course are acceptable in a court of law !

I have thought about obtaining one for our own use, as I could see the potential benefit to us should some other motorist decide to crash into us etc, or other motorists have a 'coming together' in front of us a video record of the incident would clarify where the blame lies !

My son rightly pointed out that it would also record an incident that was, in fact, our fault and so the video evidence could be used against us ! I had a good look at how the camera was fixed to the screen and how it could be easily removed away from prying eyes - should the need ever arise ! But thinking about this, I would say that having a dash cam running while the car is being driven would cause the driver to be a lot more careful and make sure that the driving is of the best quality ! Sort of like being in the Institute of Advanced Drivers and having the badge visible for all to see - makes the IAM member much more considerate and legally aware of their own driving ability, and being an example to other road users.

So having a dashcam working away causes a win - win situation really.

After much deliberation and counting my pennies carefully, I sent away for a dashcam. It arrived by courier the other day, and I have been very impressed with this very clever and easy to use addition to our car. I gave it a test run today and to show the countryside in our immediate locality I have posted it on here.................

No I haven't cos it don't want to play ball ! :yh_frustr :yh_sigh I'll have to try to sort this out. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :-5

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 3:45 am

G#Gill;1499235 wrote: I've seen videos on YouTube concerning the use of dash cams (for the uninitiated - a webcam that is secured by suction on the vehicle windscreen and videos the road ahead). I have been amazed at all the different incidents that dash cams can record, and of course are acceptable in a court of law !

I have thought about obtaining one for our own use, as I could see the potential benefit to us should some other motorist decide to crash into us etc, or other motorists have a 'coming together' in front of us a video record of the incident would clarify where the blame lies !

My son rightly pointed out that it would also record an incident that was, in fact, our fault and so the video evidence could be used against us ! I had a good look at how the camera was fixed to the screen and how it could be easily removed away from prying eyes - should the need ever arise ! But thinking about this, I would say that having a dash cam running while the car is being driven would cause the driver to be a lot more careful and make sure that the driving is of the best quality ! Sort of like being in the Institute of Advanced Drivers and having the badge visible for all to see - makes the IAM member much more considerate and legally aware of their own driving ability, and being an example to other road users.

So having a dashcam working away causes a win - win situation really.

After much deliberation and counting my pennies carefully, I sent away for a dashcam. It arrived by courier the other day, and I have been very impressed with this very clever and easy to use addition to our car. I gave it a test run today and to show the countryside in our immediate locality I have posted it on here.................

No I haven't cos it don't want to play ball ! :yh_frustr :yh_sigh I'll have to try to sort this out. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :-5

At a guess it's the file size. If it's an MP4 file then the site limit is set at 9MB which I guess limits the video to about fifteen seconds.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 4:10 am

G#Gill;1499235 wrote: I've seen videos on YouTube concerning the use of dash cams

I have no experience of video-hosting sites but I believe anyone with a free YouTube account can upload any length video there, and then provide a link to it from the forum.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 6:03 am

You could upload your video to the Cloud (OneDrive, DropBox, etc) & provide a Share link.

I've been wanting one for Kermit, but the price of a decent one can be so prohibitive. Of course, unlike one for the car, they have to be weatherproof enough to withstand all elements. Then, of course, is the matter of security. I know there are the helmet cams available, but I find wind resistance enough of a problem as it is. Anything sticking out on top would increase that, and probably get torn off. I would also have my concerns about how it could affect the viability of the helmet itself. It would have to be a properly mounted one. Then there are the obvious questions about security. Kermit has to be parked out in the open, seeing as I don't have access to a garage or anything like that, and it would make an easy target for a light fingered passer by. Then there's the matter of available memory - how long would a recording last. The size of the memory itself isn't even necessarily an accurate measure of this, as it also relies on the resolution. Cams range in price from about Â£15 to Â£1500 - and I certainly can't afford the ones in the Â£1500 range.

jamesmadisondo13 · Post by **jamesmadisondo13** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 7:49 am

what about sadnes ,man ,,,,, come on the beach

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 4:52 pm

So we're coming full circle?.. . From complaining about cctv everywhere and losing our right to privacy to carrying our own around with us.

Sad watching the worlds' mindset change.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 2:04 pm

@FourPart.....they record short periods on a loop continually..... I believe. So in the unfortunate event of an accident they will have recorded it, or at least the past few seconds accidents take to happen. And you can get strap on ones or handlebar mounting ones that you remove the camera as you reach your destination.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 4:16 pm

Keeping my mouth shut.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 4:18 pm

OMG! Theres so many things in bruvs post.

No no ......... its too early! Ill be good.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sat Jul 30, 2016 3:51 am

magentaflame;1499372 wrote: OMG! Theres so many things in bruvs post.

No no ......... its too early! Ill be good.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Sat Jul 30, 2016 6:31 pm

Nope, you know what you wrote........

I think you should go to your room and have a good think about it. Come out again when you can be decent.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Sun Jul 31, 2016 4:17 am

Just don't drive watching the screen instead of looking out the window.

Post by **spot** » Sun Jul 31, 2016 5:26 am

gmc;1499410 wrote: Just don't drive watching the screen instead of looking out the window.

Well... actually, why? What's in front of the car is exactly what's on the screen.

Captain Black and Captain Scarlet had armoured four by fours in which they sat facing the back of the vehicle to make crashes were more survivable, not that survivability was a problem for either of them, and they had screens and steering wheels and seemed to cope perfectly well. I often thought, then and since, that all cars and aircraft should be designed on that basis. Trains seem to be adopting the idea.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:51 am

You do have a unique way of looking at the real world.

Post by **spot** » Sun Jul 31, 2016 12:34 pm

It's that in a head-on crash, the driver and passenger are pressed back into the survival seat and cushioned instead of thrown forward onto the gear stick and steering wheel. Why does it not seem sensible to you? It made sense to Gerry Anderson in 1967.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Mon Aug 01, 2016 2:00 am

spot;1499412 wrote: Well... actually, why? What's in front of the car is exactly what's on the screen.

Captain Black and Captain Scarlet had armoured four by fours in which they sat facing the back of the vehicle to make crashes were more survivable, not that survivability was a problem for either of them, and they had screens and steering wheels and seemed to cope perfectly well. I often thought, then and since, that all cars and aircraft should be designed on that basis. Trains seem to be adopting the idea.

Reaction time, by the time you realise the car coming towards on that tiny little screen is not a video but real it's too late. Had a near miss on a single track road I braked to a stop and had time to watch the other driver look up from his dashboard as his passenger screamed and pointed, see me and luckily stop in time. He had it mounted on his bonnet I think he was using the screen to aim the car or something. Seriously though you do see people driving along gazing at the camera screen instead of looking where they are going. .

Post by **spot** » Mon Aug 01, 2016 2:28 am

It's mounting the screen on the dashboard that's the mistake. If you have a virtual reality headset then you can see everything across your entire field of view. Once you get used to what the screen shows you, you can even have 360 degree vision as you drive along - it takes a few minutes to acclimatize I expect. And if you can't see the speck of a vehicle a mile down the road clearly, then you can zoom the view for a couple of seconds and find out if it's anyone you know. Headsets and a CB radio are the answer.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Mon Aug 01, 2016 5:10 am

And Duracell batteries ?

Post by **spot** » Mon Aug 01, 2016 5:30 am

I expect if you use your cellphone in the HUD you can handsfree while you're watching the road on it. Though it would be a bit bad if the screen switched to a video call coming in while you were doing 70 along the M5. (I didn't say the M2, the M2 doesn't ever reach 70).

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Tue Aug 02, 2016 4:35 am

gmc;1499454 wrote: Reaction time, by the time you realise the car coming towards on that tiny little screen is not a video but real it's too late. Had a near miss on a single track road I braked to a stop and had time to watch the other driver look up from his dashboard as his passenger screamed and pointed, see me and luckily stop in time. He had it mounted on his bonnet I think he was using the screen to aim the car or something. Seriously though you do see people driving along gazing at the camera screen instead of looking where they are going. .
He was probably playing Pokemon Go. Perhaps that's what Spot is visualising with his Virtual Reality Headsets?

It's already been demonstrated beyond a shadow of doubt that using a Mobile Phone, Handsfree or otherwise, is dangerous. Not because of your hands being away from the wheel, but the fact that your attention is diverted from the matter in hand - i.e. Driving. Then, When Captain Black & Captain Scarlet, or whoever & are relying on the camera visuals for driving their car in reverse, what happens when a bird craps on the camera? At least with a windscreen you have the rest of the windscreen to see out of, but not with a camera.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:12 am

FourPart;1499495 wrote: ............................ what happens when a bird craps on the camera?

In Spot's world birds will wear nappies.