A really user friendly "rear view mirror" mounted dash cam...

Correction: there are legal limits to your false sense of security here in the good ol' US of A. You should also be aware that there are specific city and state laws that differ by location.

 

What are you doing inside your car that you are afraid that people might see?

 

Are you seriously suggesting a Big Brother state is acceptable? Are you somehow against the right to privacy?

 

Nope, just suggesting that your comment about the gentleman with the webcam being "creepy" is uncalled for.

As far as "big brother" watching I don't agree with the government spying on us, but do agree with being able to video while driving to protect your investments.

I'll save my tin foil hat for something other than dash cams......

 

So it's OK for individuals, but not law enforcement, to spy on you? That is your limit? How would you like it if someone had cameras aimed at your home? What are you afraid of? What are you doing inside your house...

 

Gotcha, I see you never take your tin foil hat off....

So you are concerned about an everyday citizen taking video to cover his butt in case of an accident, knowing that the only way the video will even be watched is if there is an accident..... A video that has such low quality that most can't even make out license plates, but from a quick search on your old posts I know these things about you:

You live (or lived) in Chicago

You work as a ski instructor

At one time owned a Nissan Altima

Shop at O'reilly Auto Parts


I'm pretty sure that "big brother" got more information from your posts on this forum than the webcam of an everyday commuter.



And to answer your question, in my house I walk around nude except for a superman cape while singing "I'm too sexy". But I do it at home so I don't have to worry about "big brother" seeing it while I'm driving down the highway. I'm not doing it out in public where I should be held accountable for my actions.

 

Okay, those videos of the car crashes, just make me cringe.

I can make no reasonable argument as to why having a dash camera isn't or wouldn't possibly be a useful thing to employ. We just live in that type of age. Assuming you are always in the right, a dash camera could be like an accident or disaster black box. It could definitely help you in the case of being a victim of accident fraud.

Despite it's potential usefulness, I simply do not want one. Even if 100% legal, even if scenario's exist where having one is useful, and I believe many scenario's do exist, it's purely a gut level reaction. I don't want one.

There is something almost HAL 9000 about it. The ever glowing open eye, constantly vigilant, always watching. With navigation computers, GPS, and camera's constantly staring out in front of my vehicle as the world goes by, how far are we from an entirely integrated system? How far am I from staring out at the headlight lit doors of my garage only to say "Open The Garage Bay Doors Hal". While the screen on my dash shows those same two doors remaining closed.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that".

No I cannot deny the benefit and the potential usefulness. But I simply do not want my vehicle to be a constant recorder of my every automobile driving moment.

 

Expect the unexpected. On many videos linked above the dashcams recorded various incidents wher "our" driver wasn't involved at all, which fact might be very helpful in further police investigation. I also did not have an accident within my 40-years driving experience (touch the wood) however many situations on the road were doubtful and I would like to analyse and to re-think mine and other's behavior. Why the local authorities install monitoring systems in cities? In my city nearly all crossroads are covered by the such and I don't have a feeling that is just the "Big Brother watching you". I feel better and safer.
edit: In addition - I'm quite the passionate of photography, sometimes you may take a shot which you may realise of it's value (something very unusual, extraordinary) only later. Remember the meteorite fall in Russia - one of the footage of it's explosion was taken by the car's dashcam.

 

Very funny. If you read my earlier posting, 2 weeks ago I got T-boned by some nincompoop and she is lying through her teeth about what happened. She was on the phone while driving and overlooked me. She admitted that she did not see me after she got out of her car. But there were no witnesses and now she claims that I drove through a stop sign.

YES, I feel the need to record every minute of my driving now!

And don't give me sh*t about 'substitute for good driving.' This year I drive for 40 years, without a single accident. Neither excellent driving skills nor a good record protect you from lying b*st*ards. A $50.- dash cam does

 

I would have KISSED anybody who invaded my privacy by videotaping what happened at the intersection where the lady T-boned my car. I don't care whether it's law-enforcement or a private citizen.

And yes, I herewith authorize you to put a dash cam in your car and tape me driving on a public road whenever you feel like it.

 

Also know that if you are in Toronto, or anywhere in Ontario, rear ending accidents are not automatically the fault of the car behind like it is in the US.

 

I'm seriously considering this model


It's very tiny, and could be hidden right up by the rear view mirror. For me, it's very important to be discreet as well.

 

Hi OP,

I am considering to buy this same model, can you please tell me (or show me) how you hide the cables?

Thanks!

 

Nobody said the camera is a substitute for good driving. The camera acts as a second witness, just in case. How often does your house catch on fire?....yet you still have home insurance. How often do you get in a car accident?....yet you still have car insurance. And nobody hopes to need life insurance....yet many people have it. All a dashcam does is act as a second set of eye; they are the perfect witness free of emotion, bias, and malicious intent. Like any other insurance, you hope you never need it but then you're glad you have it when the time comes.

 

[Snark on] How about a rear view camera, too? And side view? And overhead view? Why limit your "insurance" logic to your car? Perhaps you should record every minute of every day of your life! And you should have all of your possessions under 24/7 video surveillance, too. And your loved ones. And your enemies. You know, just in case. "Insurance". So why pay for insurance (car, health, life, whatever) now that you have video of everything that proves your innocence of everything. With all that video, you must think it is OK to say, "to hell with privacy". [Snark off] Just know this: you may not record other people without their express consent.

 

I have a Gentex auto dimming / Homelink mirror. Does anyone know the power connector type and PN, so I can make a M/F harness and splice the power to run a dash cam?

We have a lot of pedestrian wrecks / fatalities. A lot of homeless people walk into the road ways intoxicated, unfortunately. I am seriously considering one of these.

 

Here's the data on car/pedestrian fatalities by city on page 9. Interesting to note that the southern cites typically have twice the fatality rate of the northern cities (with the exception of Detroit). Austin, by the way, doesn't seem to be any worse than the rest of Texas. Perhaps you would be better advised to change your P&G routes away from known homeless populations at night. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811888.pdf

 

Filming giant flaming asteroids, of course!

Thank You Kindly.

 

Love the music.