A few weeks ago I was working in our bay at Pinnacle Autosound when I heard the sadly familiar sound of a collision at the intersection in front of our facility. While thankfully everyone involved was safe, the turmoil did not end at impact. Read on to find out more about how a dashcam could save you in more than one way if you’re involved in an accident like this.
Our building is equipped with a number of security cameras. Naturally curious, we checked the footage after the wreck to see what had happened. The two main vehicles involved were a white car and a black car. Watching the footage, it was clear that traffic was flowing in both directions when the white car appeared to attempt a left turn. As a result, the black car and a truck hit the white car. Everyone who viewed the footage agreed that the actions of the white car caused the accident. The EMS and wrecker crews did their jobs and the day went on.
The next day, the driver of the black car came to our store, asking whether we had video footage of the collision. The owner of the white car was suing them over the accident. The driver was still rattled from the incident and now had the additional stress of being sued for an accident they did not believe they had caused. We gave them the footage and wished them the best.
Products That Make A Difference
Many of the products we sell are for entertainment purposes. I like to think those products enrich the lives of our clients. A segment of our products, however, falls into the safety category. These are items like backup camera systems and dash cameras, which certainly offer more benefit than entertainment. In the case of the accident that we had footage of, a dash camera system would have been beneficial for the driver of the black car.
Dashcams Can Save the Day
If the driver of the black car had a dashcam in their vehicle, they would have had the footage necessary to prove their innocence. Because it is always recording, a dashcam is a bit of inexpensive insurance. Let’s take a closer look at what a dashcam does and the features it offers.
The Basics of a Dashcam
The market is full of dashcams these days. Models range from sub-$100 versions that you can pick up at the local auto parts store to full-featured cameras that provide additional safety features. The one thing all of the cameras have in common is that they record video from the front of the vehicle while you drive. Dashcams are typically mounted to the front windshield near the rearview mirror (the closer to the center of the car, the better). Nicer camera models will include a rear camera, to monitor the back of the vehicle also. The footage from the camera is stored on a memory card that can be removed and inserted into a computer for viewing. Some dashcams have built-in screens for viewing, while others rely on smartphone apps for viewing and control.
Dashcam Driving Safety Features
The nicer cameras, like our flagship model at Pinnacle Autosound, the Thinkware Q800PRO do much more than just record video. Premium dashcams like the Q800PRO include a suite of safety features to proactively assist the driver.
Many newer cars come with lane departure warning systems. Some even take over the car in attempt to avoid a collision. Thinkware features the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), which has three components. The first is a forward warning. If the camera senses road hazards ahead (such as a car abruptly stopping), it alerts the driver with an audible warning. The second component falls more into the convenience column, in that it will alert the driver if cars in front of the car start to move after sitting still in traffic. The third feature is the lane departure warning system. This component vigilantly monitors the road ahead and if the driver starts to veer out of their lane, a warning is sounded. If the warnings aren’t your thing, any or all of them can be turned off through the smartphone app.
Dashcam Parking Features
The Q800PRO doesn’t just protect your vehicle while driving. When you park your car, the camera continues to keep watch on it. The smart engineers at Thinkware came up with two types of recording while the vehicle is parked. The first is a time-lapse recording, in which the camera is recording fewer frames per minute, and thus using less energy. The second is an energy-saving impact mode. If the camera senses an impact to the vehicle, it begins to record, to provide footage of the impact.
Dashcam Parental Features
The final protection offered by the Q800PRO is for parents. These cameras allow parents to keep track of a vehicle via the Thinkware Cloud app. The app displays the location of the vehicle as well as its speed and the direction it’s travelling.
Another useful feature for parents is the geofencing feature. Using the Cloud app, the parent can set up digital “fences” that are triggered by the vehicle’s location. Alerts can be set up to notify the parents when the vehicle leaves or enters a particular area.
Dashcams at Pinnacle Autosound
We don’t know how the lawsuit between the two drivers turned out. But a dashcam in either vehicle certainly would have given the drivers some peace of mind.
If this saga hits home with you and helps you see the need for a dashcam, trust the experts at Pinnacle Autosound to help you with your purchase. We sell a number of dashcams to fit anyone’s budget. Our MECP-certified technicians will ensure that the camera you purchase is installed safely. We know that sometimes new technology can be overwhelming, so we make sure to walk our clients through the features of new products they purchase. We are also always available to answer any questions after the sale. Stop by, call or contact us today to find out more about the perfect dashcam solution for your vehicle.
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