Many of the new cars today come equipped with several cameras (including dash cams) to help make driving comfortable and safer. Having a dash cam installed in your vehicle can come quite handy in situations you wouldn’t imagine. Some of the pros of having a dash cam are outlined below.

1. Record Accident Scenes

Most people/drivers are unable to recollect exactly what happened after an accident. You however will not necessarily need to remember what exactly happened as there will be video proof of the car crash. You can use the video footage to prove you weren’t at fault, hence have the insurance company take care of the damages. The dash cam footage can also help expedite your claim, thus saving you both time and money, so indirectly you get a better deal on car insurance.

2. Get out of ticket

Have you ever been fined for a traffic violation even when you weren’t at fault? If yes, then having a dash cam footage can save you from getting a ticket. Simply show the footage to the law enforcement officer, or bring it to court to contest the ticket.

The camera footage will not only help you content violations you didn’t commit but also contribute to avoiding an auto insurance surcharge. With proof of proper driving and fewer traffic tickets, you will be eligible to lower insurance premiums and other incentives.

Many drivers have been able to avoid getting a ticket by simply showing the officer a clip proving they weren’t on the wrong side of the law. This can be attested by a motorist who could have been charged for talking on his phone while driving, only for the officer to find out he was merely tugging and scratching his ear.

3. Fight Insurance Fraud

Witnessing a crash for cash accident, or even getting involved in one can have a serious implication on the person involved. If you believe you were a victim of the same and since insurance fraud, you can then turn over dashcam footage from your car to insurance companies involved. You could also turn the footage over to the state insurance fraud unit for farther investigation. Doing this can help catch fraudsters in staged accidents, and could even help lower your insurance rates indirectly.

According to the FBI, more than $40 billion is lost annually due to insurance fraud. This mostly happens when insurance companies settle fraudulent claims unknowingly, or when motorists are forced to pay extra in insurance claims for frauds they didn’t commit.

Mercury Insurance’s SIU (Special Investigations Unit) uses dash cam footages and video evidence to fight insurance fraud. The unit uses clips captured by dash cameras of drivers making unnecessary or sudden stops to cause an accident intentionally. This has helped the unit stop numerous insurance frauds and eventually protecting their customers from lawsuits. According to Dan Bales (the national director of SIU), many people try to cheat the system only for dash cam evidence to prove them guilty.

4. Makes You a Better Driver

In the same way, an athlete watches his/her previous games to better his/her performance; you too can do the same to identify your mistakes while driving. It’s by learning your mistakes that you can find ways to correct the same, hence become a better driver. Some of the driving mistakes you can fix from watching past clips include switching lanes abruptly and braking too hard.

It’s by learning from your past mistakes and correcting them that you can become a better driver, fast. This means reduced mishaps on the road and a better driving record. Among other benefits, you will be able to get auto insurance discounts thanks to a clean driving record.

5. Review Your Teen’s Driving Habits and Skills

Most teens and individuals under 25 years attract high car insurance rates due to cause claims, tendency to crash, and lack of experience on the road. Many of these get at least one ticket each month. While they may see this as nothing, such tickets can have a serious impact on their driving records several years to come. Having dash cams installed in their cars can however help you, including them, review their driving skills and habits.

Reviewing their driving styles and habits can help you identify common mistakes that can be corrected to become better drivers. You can then use these to help them master the art of driving. You will be surprised how helpful these cameras will be, and how well your teenage son or daughter becomes a better and responsible driver. This should help lower their insurance rates significantly.

Multiple dash cameras or just a two-way dash cam is a good investment for a teen. The cams not only show you how good, or bad, your daughter/son is, but also enables you to see everything that happens in the car. You get to learn if he/she texts while driving, pays attention to the road, or is distracted while driving. You can also use the clips to curtail the behavior before the can get a ticket or get into an accident.

Getting your child to become a better driver not only helps him/her have a clean driving record but also helps them build confidence on the road. It also reduces their chances of getting a ticket or even cause an accident. Most teens that drive vehicles with dash cams have a clean record, which gives them a better chance of getting discounts as soon as they have more than three years of experience on the road.

6. Keep an eye on your vehicle remotely

Dash cams have seen serious upgrades over the recent past. For instance, some cams have a standby feature that allows them to detect motion around the car, and start recording discreetly. Such come in handy especially if burglars break into your car or attempt to get in. The dash cams will capture their faces, making it possible for law enforcement officers to arrest them quickly. The footage can also help you recover stolen items.

In addition to enabling you to keep an eye on your car remotely, you can use clips of the breakage to have the insurance company pay for the damages. Showing a clip of the incident to the insurance company provides evidence that you aren’t at fault, hence your record remains squeaky clean.

7. Capture unexpected events

Your dash cam can capture unexpected events such as meteors, deer darting across the road, or even trees falling during a storm. Some of the clips captured can be used as a treasure for memorable moments, while other can be used to get you out of trouble, and particularly with insurance companies.