Rise of the dashcam drivers

One in five motorists are now relying on dashcam technology to protect themselves and to monitor other road users, it has emerged.

A survey conducted by webuyanycar.com found that more than 60% cent have recorded a road traffic accident, dangerous driving, a car related crime or anti-social behaviour from pedestrians.

It may even be that the rise of dashcams is helping to reduce the number of accidents and traffic offences.

A recent freedom of information request by webuyanycar.com revealed the Metropolitan Police have reported a 7% reduction of motor collisions, year-on-year, from March 2017 to March 2018.

On average, there were approximately 397 fewer collisions per month on the Met Police’s roads in the 12 months leading up to March 2018, than the previous year.

Data from the Met Police also revealed a dramatic reduction in Traffic Offence Reports and Fixed Penalty Notices in the past 12 months, dropping by a staggering 30%.

Over a third of those with a cam have captured footage of dangerous driving, including tailgating, while 12% have caught anti-social behaviour from pedestrians on camera.

With the rise of ‘cash for crash’ incidents, some dashcam users have managed to record a fraudulent crash on their device.

Peace of mind

The survey reported that eight in 10 of those with a dashcam say it offers them peace of mind if they’re ever involved in a road traffic accident, while almost a quarter say the cam makes them feel safer on the road.

Another 16% of drivers reported feeling more conscious of hazards on the road with a dash cam fitted.

Motorists with cars priced over £15,000 are three times more likely to own and use a dash cam than drivers of cars valued £1,000 or less.

It has also been revealed that it is the more experienced driver who is investing in dashcam technology, with motorists aged 46 or over comprising more than 60% of dashcam owners.