In Car Camera's

[davidgilham]

I'm just about to have in car camera's fitted onto my fleet of vehicles in order to bring the insurance costs down. These are becoming more popular for the general public now as more insurance companies are getting on board,

Would you have one of these fitted if it saved you money on insurance and gave you added protection in the event of an accident that wasn't your fault?

Regards

David

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Has your insurer confirmed they will lower your premiums if you fit them?
I see the people selling them are quoting "reductions of up to 30% in your premiums" I would like to know the insurers viewpoint?

 

[davidgilham]

Yeah we renegotiated the insurance premium and they told us that if we fitted these camera's then we would save nearly 25 %.

 

[cheap]

I'm just about to have in car camera's fitted onto my fleet of vehicles in order to bring the insurance costs down. These are becoming more popular for the general public now as more insurance companies are getting on board,

Would you have one of these fitted if it saved you money on insurance and gave you added protection in the event of an accident that wasn't your fault?

Regards

David

Yes i would if it brought it down quite a bit, but a couple of years ago my insurance tried to get me to have one but the saving was not worth it.
And remember it works both ways.

 

[Talay]

I'm still looking for a permanent recording system (not just pre / post incident saved video) written to storage which can cope with at least a month at a time.

 

[HarveyIT]

Where are you getting the camera's from? Any website link?

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Where are you getting the camera's from? Any website link?

Your search engine will bring up plenty to choose from.

 

[Young Recruit]

Where are you getting the camera's from? Any website link?

Can you use them in normal cars yet to lower insurance?

JA

 

[HGSecurity]

We run these in all of our cars, after having a drunk/drugged driver write our car off in 2009 and then HER insurance company trying to argue it, despite the fact that there were 4 independent witnesses at the scene who all agreed it was 100% her fault.
We currently have Full 1080p HD cams with Class 10 32gb SD cards in, but at that resolution you only get about 8 hours (although the footage is crystal clear as you might expect). You just have to remember to download clips that you want to save before they get over-written. Useful feature is the Google Map app that lets you see your route traveled along with the speed you were going.
I reckon I've probably got enough clips saved to make a DVD.......
If you want more storage, you would need to look at the cams that have a separate HDD, but you pay the price.
As to whether they lower the insurance premiums - when I first asked in 2009 the insurance companies all said no, but I think they're slowly coming around to the idea, and we have renewal coming up soon so I'll check again.

 

[HGSecurity]

Update - checked with our insurance company (Aviva) and no discount available

 

[smo]

Its something i've been considering for some time but still waiting for quality to increase, cost to drop and insurance companies to get on board before jumping in.

 

[HGSecurity]

Its something i've been considering for some time but still waiting for quality to increase, cost to drop and insurance companies to get on board before jumping in.

Our primary reason for getting them wasn't insurance discount, it was protection against numpties running into us and to avoid a debacle like we had in 2009. As to quality/price - you can get a 1080p HD cam with GPS now for around £50. We have them front and back in the two most-used cars and the video footage is excellent.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

I'm considering buying a couple of these to use as body worn cameras... I've found some on Ebay for £24.99 with free delivery from china, yet in the UK for the exact same thing they're £49.99 and £19.99 for delivery...

 

[smo]

Our primary reason for getting them wasn't insurance discount, it was protection against numpties running into us and to avoid a debacle like we had in 2009. As to quality/price - you can get a 1080p HD cam with GPS now for around £50. We have them front and back in the two most-used cars and the video footage is excellent.

Thats a lot better than last time I looked.

Are there any you would recommend?

 

Great idea not only can the modern driver be distracted by there mobile phone,Ipad,sat nav e.t.c.

Not to mention the hundreds of buttons they have to play with.

But now they can spend their time making movies for Youtube.

Strewth give me strength.

 

[HGSecurity]

Thats a lot better than last time I looked.

Are there any you would recommend?

This one looks the same as one of the ones we have, but a cheaper version without GPS. There's a nice feature which turns off the screen after a short time so that it's not distracting you while you drive, especially at night. It's quite compact too, so will tuck up at top of windscreen by mirror or behind sun visor. Ebay auction no. 390490233012 is a basic version without GPS, or if you want the version with GPS, item no. 251125695998.
At that price, it's worth a punt, you'll need to buy a micro sd card too - preferably class 10 and at least 16gb (I use 32gb).
We also use one of these with a rotating lens -picture quality is excellent but they do have a tendency to mist up on cold mornings: ebay item no. 130680133995

If you search sites like AliBaba you might get even cheaper by placing a sample order with the chinese suppliers. Have a good look around and see what ticks your boxes and gives you the features you want.

 

[MASSEY]

Trouble is, when you cause the accident you will have to dispose of the recording and camera swiftly.

 

[HGSecurity]

Great idea not only can the modern driver be distracted by there mobile phone,Ipad,sat nav e.t.c.

Not to mention the hundreds of buttons they have to play with.

But now they can spend their time making movies for Youtube.

Strewth give me strength.

You're entitled to an opinion, of course, but as the camera starts up automatically when the car is started and shuts off when you stop the car, you don't need to touch it and tend to forget it's there so it's not at all distracting, especially if it's not in your direct eyeline (which it shouldn't be anyway) and has an auto off screen like mine.

Are you a naturally grumpy person or do you just hate car cameras and other gadgets?

 

[smo]

Great idea not only can the modern driver be distracted by there mobile phone,Ipad,sat nav e.t.c.

Not to mention the hundreds of buttons they have to play with.

But now they can spend their time making movies for Youtube.

Strewth give me strength.

These things are automatic and sense a impact and then record from that point forward as well as saving the buffer which is usually approx 30 seconds prior to the incident so no intervention is needed. They are also able to be activated by the driver which whilst it involves a button press if some nutter cuts you up, blocks the road and goes bat **** crazy in a road rage attack its well worth having!

Trouble is, when you cause the accident you will have to dispose of the recording and camera swiftly.

Yes, but you couldnt be made to hand over the footage to insurance companies so it can really only be a benefit to prove your innocence in such instances where it isnt your fault.

 

[BustersDogs]

I looked into it, not for the insurance, but for evidence (just had the other party finally give up and admit liability for an accident 20 months ago, we were nearly ready for a court date), but none of the cameras do what I want - ie record 24/7 (had a hit and run outside my house about three years ago, and also minor damage done to a different car outside my house too) and keep the recordings long enough!

 

Are you a naturally grumpy person or do you just hate car cameras and other gadgets?

Life I am afraid has taught me to be grumpy.

Huge increases in the accident rates caused by incar distractions.

Even Hands free mobiles have been shown to reduce concentration by up to 50%.

Having seen human beings with new toys.I somehow suspect there might be yet one more problem drivers have to put up with.:|

 

[HGSecurity]

Life I am afraid has taught me to be grumpy.

Huge increases in the accident rates caused by incar distractions.

Even Hands free mobiles have been shown to reduce concentration by up to 50%.

Having seen human beings with new toys.I somehow suspect there might be yet one more problem drivers have to put up with.:|

I know what you mean - I think the temptation for some people would be to go around 'looking' for good footage, but those sort of numpties will get themselves (and probably other innocent people) into a whole lot of trouble very quickly. It has to be considered a 'fit and forget' option really, until something happens and you think 'ooh, that will be on the camera' - then they could be worth their weight in gold.
All the more reason to put them somewhere that you can't easily see them or play with them whilst driving - if they've got the built-in G-sensor they will automatically save any incidents where sudden acceleration, deceleration or impact are sensed, and prevent them from being over-written if you forget to take them off the memory card.

@Boredombusters - to run 24/7 on a car cam would present battery issues - even if it were running off your car battery. Some of the cameras have a built-in motion sensing option, however, so the camera only records if it senses any movement? Maybe a cctv cam would be better if the car is parked close enough to the house?

 

[CAEDAN]

There are a huge variety of cameras available - we stock all the decent ones!

There are alot of 'cheap' systems out there - you need to stay away from these for commercial purposes as they are very poor quality and have a poor/shaky picture or don't last long!

There are self contained sd types that can either be hard wired or plug and play. These start at around £150-250 margin depending on quality and size. These will record whilst driving and re-write every 28 days on average. They will record all accident/incident and 15 minutes either side of the impact onto a secure section of the drive. The rest is overwritten. You can hit a panic button if you believe something should be added to hard drive, so as an attempted car hacking or road rage event.

They go all the way up to multi camera, black box systems which can go up to around £1200 margin. these are the type that emergency services use in their cars, and can be found in buses and trains use etc.
These will often record for far longer periods.

Many of these cameras have a 'sleep' mode, and depending on your battery/fitting a second leisure you could lave them ticking away all night. If anything happens, the camera will 'wake' and record either side, so in theory would cover any hit and runs at night. The drain would depend on amount of cameras and system fitted though.

As with anything, the price varies depending on what you wish to do with it an how much you wish to pay.

 

[BustersDogs]

Nothing solar powered that would charge up in the day and run it at night?

The cars are already covered by CCTV from the shop opposite my house, the trouble is they don't get the number plate because of the angle (the same problem I'd have with my house, and even when it's a signwritten vehicle that we can trace they don't record who is driving and the time my van was completely written off we were unable to prove who was driving because the usual driver of the vehicle claimed he was at home at the time and didn't know who had taken the van out. Company vehicle and all that.

I think if it starts recording on impact it will be too late. The photos I took of the woman on the wrong side of the road I was told were after the incident so not reliable (although she paid up in the end due to threat of going to court) and even a recording on impact wouldn't show that I had stopped and she hit me because she claimed she had stopped and I hit her. Grrr...

 

[Berkshire Business]

For a company looking to cut costs, provide evidence in a non-fault road accident and ensure the drivers are working by the rules, I completley agree with in vehical cameras being used by companies. There are so many posotive outcomes.

 

[leemason]

Maybe for a company in their own vehicles these are great and can cut cost, etc. However for private individuals I would not be happy with someone (whoever it is) being able to monitor me to this extent. What really scares me is that these will start of a voluntary and "no one is forcing you to have them" but eventually the insurance companies will make them virtually compulsory by setting premiums so high for those who don't have them that they will be priced off the road.

Next we'll have home cameras to reduce your contents insurance I guess.

 

[HGSecurity]

Maybe for a company in their own vehicles these are great and can cut cost, etc. However for private individuals I would not be happy with someone (whoever it is) being able to monitor me to this extent. What really scares me is that these will start of a voluntary and "no one is forcing you to have them" but eventually the insurance companies will make them virtually compulsory by setting premiums so high for those who don't have them that they will be priced off the road.

Next we'll have home cameras to reduce your contents insurance I guess.

Aah - the 'Big Brother' argument. Like I always say, if you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about, shirley.

 

Aah - the 'Big Brother' argument. Like I always say, if you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about, shirley.

Bit of a difference between doing wrong and doing something you may wish others not to know about.

I also have reservations about camera's ability to record accident and there survival rate.?

 

[HGSecurity]

I think it will be a long time before there's any chance of these cameras becoming obligatory - even in USA (the compensation culture capital of the world) there are only certain states that insist on them for insurance purposes. When and if that happens, it will only be after a standard design is agreed that is totally automatic and tamper-proof, rather than the HDD or SD Card options we have at the moment, so until that happens, I'm quite happy to carry on using them for my own protection on my bike or in my car.

As to their survival rate, yes, in a very serious collision the cameras could suffer damage, but the memory cards are surprisingly resilient. If the collision was that serious, chances are you ain't going to be around to argue about it anyway.

 

[leemason]

Bit of a difference between doing wrong and doing something you may wish others not to know about.

I also have reservations about camera's ability to record accident and there survival rate.?

The old "if you're not doing anything wrong..." argument! Try telling that to Doctor David Kelly's widow!

 

[HGSecurity]

The old "if you're not doing anything wrong..." argument! Try telling that to Doctor David Kelly's widow!

That's a very contentious subject and not one I want to get into, because it hardly compares with having a camera in your vehicle, which is the subject of this thread.

 

[leemason]

That's a very contentious subject and not one I want to get into, because it hardly compares with having a camera in your vehicle, which is the subject of this thread.

You are quite correct, it is. And so as far as I am concerned is our surveillance culture where not only are we the most watched society in the world but we are even told that it's all for our own good and that we should even participate in making is easier for even private companies to keep an eye on us. And do you really think that all of this video footage will be completely safe in the hands of companies who would have no choice but to hand it over to Governments (not just our own) if they wanted (needed!) it.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

With all due respect Lee I think you're taking it all out of proportion.

If it wasn't for the amount of CCTV that this country is investing in with the Police, Fire & Rescue we wouldn't have the programmes to watch on TV at night.

Seriously though, come on... despite my obvious hatred towards The Government, CCTV is not out there to keep an eye on us for doing anything "normal" it's there to watch those that are doing things that are not normal.

Look at it this way, let's say for instance you're sat at home one night, next minute your car goes up in flames outside for "no apparent reason at all" or gets stolen, if there was CCTV in the area or close by there would be sufficient evidence to help discover what really happened, and if stolen recover your vehicle.

Police Camera Action - very interesting when you think about it.

 

[CAEDAN]

Businesses use them as a tool to save money, not just in insurance but in fuel, tyre wear and possible image problems.

That may sound extreme - but take a plant hire vehicle from a national chain that i followed a few weeks ago.

80mph in a 30mph, screeching round rounabouts to a piont that the truck was fishtailing, entered the industrial estate where he was based and handbrake turned it and reversed back to the depot door.

What if that was YOUR employee - you would be saving money on tyres (£400 worth on the back of that truck), fuel and maintenance. Risk would be lower for insurance. so it is beneficial. Couple that with what the locals (that customers to you and I ) think of your company driving like that and you get the idea.

This is the reason many companies are doing so. It also combats the ever increasing car park cameras - There was a well known case whereby a company vehicle had been targeted and fined for leaving a well known burger chain 6 hours or so after entering according to the camera images. The driver had actually visited in the morning for breakfast, and again for lunch in the afternoon - his tracker vindicated him, but a camera would do the same as it logs where you have been.

As well as protecting you - and what I always warn customers of - it can also condemn you! If you are at fault, it will be the perfect witness, and not always your friend so to speak. This has a knock on effect of improving driving standards.

Will insurers want them as standard? Probably - they trialled it a few years back and it was not viable. Maybe they will insist once people have them of their own accord.

No different to the water boards who offer meters - will they charge per litre when we all have them? Probably.

The same thing applies - if you want to save now, it is a tool that can help you, just as the water meter helps home owners save now. It may well change - but for the moment you have the option to save in a recession where people are saving on the smaller things to keep heir heads above water in some cases.

Even a friends business just had cctv installed in his company. They have a very good workforce, and look after their employees exceptionally well, without too much issue - Week one - 4 caught stealing!

 

[Encantador]

Read a story on another forum about a guy with a Motorhome in France.

He hit a pedestrian who appeared quite seriously injured, no fault of his, was looking at having his vehicle impounded, missing his ferry etc which would have caused all sorts of hassle. Remembered his camera, showed the police the footage, they took a copy and let him get on his way.

 

[Evesoffspring]

I would defo have one fitted, regardless whether it lowered my insurance.
Im sure I saw a tv program the other day where a woman bought one for £22 off internet and it caught somebody nicking her lawn mower. Might just check out ebay now.

Might even capture a UFO on it !!!

 

[HGSecurity]

I would defo have one fitted, regardless whether it lowered my insurance.
Im sure I saw a tv program the other day where a woman bought one for £22 off internet and it caught somebody nicking her lawn mower. Might just check out ebay now.

Might even capture a UFO on it !!!

You might even be lucky enough to film something that ends up on YBF - that would more than pay for the camera