Why you need a dash camera for your car is that today your word is not always good enough in court to prove that you were in the right and having a camera recording what is happening is proof positive of what really happened.

Now before you say what is a dash camera (cam), it is a camera designed to be mounted on the windshield of your car, and it is will record video with sound while you are driving. The dash cam is usually connected to your cars 12 volt power point (what used to be the cigarette lighter) so that it starts recording when you start your car. OK, now with that explanation out of the way lets look at the reasons why you should have one.

The biggest reason is for insurance purposes, if you are in an accident the camera will record what actually happened and it is proof positive that is very difficult to dispute. Many of the better dash cams have what is called a ‘G-sensor’ that will automatically save the video when you are in an accident, this is a good thing to have because unless you remember to save the video from the accident the dash cam will eventually overwrite this piece of proof that you needed to save.

Another reason is someone could damage your car while it is parked and a motion sensor feature available on many of the better dash cams will record what happened. Thus again giving you proof of who and how your vehicle was damaged.

Remember that insurance scams are being perpetrated daily and you could be the victim of one if you don’t have a dash cam. It could be as simple a scam as jumping in front of your car to claim that you injured them, when you did not.

If you get a better dash cam with a GPS (global positioning system) it could save you the cost of a speeding ticket. Your speed will be recorded on the video as well as sounds from inside your car.

Some things to look for when purchasing, one look for a recording speed of at least 30 fps and that it has night vision capability, secondly you want one that has a capacitor (not a battery) if you live in an area where it gets very hot, after all you do not want the battery to leak and damage your expensive dash cam. Also you might have to get an installation kit that includes a long enough power cord with clips to mount it around the windshield. Do not use a suction cup to mount the dash cam, look for one that mounts either on the windshield with Velcro that has adhesive mount that behind the rear view mirror or on the mirror itself. A suction cup can come off at any time as they are not very reliable. Plus look for one that has a viewing angle of at least 130 degrees for the front facing unit.

You must understand that you can get a dash cam that faces the front only and one that has two cameras that you have to place one near the rear window, please note that they cost a lot more and you will have more work to install it. Another thing you will need is a SD card to record to, get a good one it is well worth the extra money and it should be at least 32 GB in size.

Have fun and stay safe.

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike