Dash cams

Learn about the ultimate tech upgrade for your car: the allseeing eye that watches the road for maniac drivers, protects you in case of an accident, and nags you about your speed

- Alex Cox

Not too long ago, dash cams were strictly filed in the ‘nice to have’ category, good for capturing titillating footage of Siberian meteorite strikes but by no means a necessary inclusion in cars. But now they’re cheaper, better, and quickly moving towards becoming an essential gadget for your vehicle.

For a start, dash cams are pleasing to insurers in a time of increasing fraudulent accidents. Want to report a dangerous driver? If you’re collecting the proper footage by default, you’ll have what you need to provide to the relevant authorities. Want to keep better tabs on a car-borrowing teen? A dash cam can record their journeys, footage from which you can later scrutinise to ensure they’re behaving behind the wheel. If you’re embarking on a scenic road trip, with many dash cams you can not only record footage, but edit the highlights.

That’s merely the tip of what some can do. Many dash cams include additional features that can truly change your driving for the better. On the other hand, making a poor purchasing decision could hurt you more than it helps. You could invest £20, or you could drop ten times that amount – a camera is only as good as its components and software.

ALL-SEEING EYE

Let’s start with the obvious: the most important component of any dash cam is the camera sensor, because dash cams have specific and unique requirements. They need to be able to take in footage that’s moving fast, and they need to cope with a vast range of light levels (including, if you’re in a car, using a polarising filter to pick out what’s outside your windscreen rather than what’s reflected inside). They also need the widest field of view in order to take in as much of the road as possible, and they need to ensure that footage is crystal clear.