Being an employee of Safe Drive Solutions requires a lot of travel. One day you are in Chilliwack and next day you are in North Vancouver. Picking the correct dash cam upgrade for my Kia Soul was crucial. Because when you’re traveling frequently there is always a chance of catching an incident on camera. Protecting myself while driving is important, that is why I selected the IROAD X11 dash cam.
IROAD X11 Dash Camera
I chose the IROAD X11 dash cam upgrade for my kia soul specifically for its 310 degrees of total coverage. The front camera is 2K, night vision, detects motion, impacts, and has a wide-angle view of 155 degrees. Comparing recording time of the IROAD X11 to Thinkware U1000, when using a 128GB SD card. The U1000 gets 4.5 hours of continuous record time while the X11 gets 11 hours. This is due to IROAD proprietary software. Food for thought if you put the X11 dash camera into Time Lapse mode 100% of the time at 1 frame per second you would get up to 64 hours of record time.
Android & Apple Wifi App
The IROAD dash camera supports apple and android Wi-Fi app. I can merely use either device, login into the unit and download videos directly to my phone. This makes it easy to share videos with friends, family, social media or even YOUTUBE. You can also change any of the many settings this dash camera has.
High Temperature Protection
In BC over the summer record high temperatures were set over 46 degrees Celsius. Have you ever touched the windshield of your vehicle during these heat waves? Trust me it is a lot hotter than 46 degrees. Your dash camera is mounted on the windshield, so it is important to have proper protection. To keep the device running stable, IROAD protects its data against intense heat by turning it off to prevent overheating. They also use an all-glass lens to prevent warping.
Car Insurance
The #1 question ICBC asks when there is an incident. Do you have the dash cam footage? It is becoming more and more popular. Some of my clients have told me that even when witnesses have shown up to testify, they push it aside and ask for dash camera footage. Therefore, we do what we do. We provide dash cameras with installation so our clients can better protect themselves.
Conclusion
Getting any dash camera, no matter what brand, is still a step in the right direction. Buying a dash camera like the IROAD X11 betters your chances with, improved detail, night vision, parking recording, and Wi-Fi app support. That is why I chose the IROAD X11 for my dash cam upgrade on my Kia.
Our client from Burnaby wanted a dash cam install in their Mazda 3. Commuting to and from Richmond can be a very busy drive. With so many cars on the road it is important to have a silent witness. That is why our client got a front and rear dash camera from IROAD.
Accidents Happen
Imagine you are driving down the highway and another vehicle cuts you off causing damage to your vehicle. Our client’s friend had this happen to them. The insurance company ruled it 50/50 accident. Once the dash cam footage was provided her friend had won. True story. That is why she made the investment in a dash camera. Getting a dash cam install in her Mazda 3 was a no brainer.
24 Hour Surveillance
The IROAD T10S2 provides around the clock protection. One of the best features of this camera is the SONY STARVIS image sensor. It will record the brightest and cleanest images even in low light environments. This is key so you can record late at night if any incidents arise. Simply set the unit to parking mode and it will record the entire time you are away. Make sure you upgrade your SD card to store all those recordings.
Install Wiring
In this paragraph I am going to talk about why to get professional installation. Above all you want your vehicle to look neat and tidy. Firstly, you do not want wires hanging everywhere. Secondly you want the ability to record any incidents while parked. So, you get a technician to come in and hardwire your dash cam. Some people get confused and think you are just running a cigarette lighter. Really this is where the technical expertise comes in, the years of experience, and the specialty tools. Trust your vehicle with a true expert. To better understand what parking mode is please read our blog.
Convenience
This dash camera has the power of both styles of dash cams. Often dash cams come with either Wi-Fi built in or a touch screen. IROAD T10S2 has both options built into 1 unit. If you are not tech savvy and just want to change a setting or view a video file. You can change it at your fingertips. Really easy. Meanwhile if you want to download the video directly to your phone, use the app and pair via Wi-Fi. However if you want to get really fancy, pair the OBDII Scanner cable to the unit for increased performance.
When you have a young driver on the road with a brand-new license as a parent, you go through a wave of emotions, both excited and terrified. While you know your teenager understands the rules of the road with an adult in the car, what will it be like when they go out on the road alone? Or even with friends in the car. You may not be able to be in the car with them as they go out on the road independently, but you can find a way to ensure that they are protected and accounted for. As you are considering different options, the choice to buy your teen a dashcam is an option that provides a range of helpful features.
Understanding Dashcams
While most people in North America don’t use dashcams, they are essentially a video camera installed onto the windshield of the car that can record and monitor the vehicles in front of the car, back of the car or the driver. You choose to either have one channel, which means one camera, or two channels, which means two cameras. You can choose to point one at the front of the car and the rear of the car to get a good view of the vehicle’s surroundings.
Like all cameras, the dashcam comes with a memory stick that, once it is full, the camera will begin to overwrite the content. The two-channel dashcam is the most popular one for parents who are using them with their teenagers. This is mainly because both you and your teenager get a better picture of events when accidents happen from the car’s front, rear, and interior.
Why Use a Dashcam?
Say your teen experiences an accident, and it isn’t evident which driver was liable; you can look at the footage of the dashcams to help determine who made a mistake. This can be especially helpful for young drivers who are still trying to understand how to utilize the guidelines of driving in practice without reminding them. Understandably, they may experience a few hiccups as they get used to driving on the road without someone to make suggestions when they may be doing something incorrectly.
Looking over the footage with your teen can also be a helpful way for them to understand what they need to work on when it comes to their driving. Like athletes and actors, it can be beneficial for drivers to look over how they were driving in different situations when they are starting to move on their own. Dashcams provide the ability to reflect on specific rules that need to be remembered more regularly. All great reasons on why to buy your teen a dashcam.
Dashcam Protection
Including the ability to protect from accidents while your teen is operating, the dashcam can also provide security if anything happens to the car while your teen is away from the vehicle. There can be situations where the car might have been broken into, and you didn’t have a dashcam to catch the suspect in action. There are also situations where your teen’s car might have been dented or scratched while they were away. With a dashcam, you’ll be able to have proof of the incident to ensure that if anything goes wrong, your insurance will be able to cover it.
There are also different models of dashcams that allow you to monitor the car’s speed as your teen is driving to make sure that they are respecting the speed limit. You can also find dashcams that will tell you the location of the car* (hotspot/sim card required). This can be helpful in a range of circumstances, for if the car ever gets stolen or when you want to know the location of where your teen may be located and you can even be notified if your teen breached a set area. With the dashcam, you can even see who is in the car with your teen.
In Conclusion
Your teenager getting their very own driver’s license and car are one of the many steps to get ready for your teen leaving the nest and gain more autonomy over their choices. A dashcam gives you the peace of mind to know that your teen is safe as they get used to the responsibilities of driving on their own and having a car in their possession. With so many models to choose from, it can be hard to determine which dashcam would be able to fit your needs. This is why it’s essential to reach out to Safe Drive Solutions, where you can get a quote on a dashcam that suits you and your teen’s needs for driving safely.
Contact Us if you have any questions or Get a Free Quote on why to buy your teen a dashcam.
There’s an old saying that stands the test of time: accidents happen. And if you’ve been driving for many years, there’s a chance you’ve at least been in a fender bender. If you’ve never been in an accident, we’re going to layout and unfortunate, but all too common scenario:
You’re driving along on a sunny sunday afternoon. The same route you always take. Today though, there’s a driver that doesn’t stop at a 4 way stop intersection and t-bones you. Thankfully (and hopefully) everyone is uninjured. You get out of the car to assess the damage and to ensure everyone is ok. Then, you walk up to the vehicle of the person who ran the stop sign and blindsided your vehicle. You ask them if they would like to exchange insurance information. They immediately become hostile and defensive, claiming that you were the one who ran the stop sign and darted out in front of his vehicle.
When there are no witnesses to an accident, it’s one person’s word against another’s. Then, once the insurance companies become involved—each party will attempt to minimize their costs by investigating the incident with biased investigations. This can lead to a long, drawn-out legal or claims process that can result in an unfair outcome. Dashcams protect you.
DASHCAMS ARE A GAME CHANGER
Here’s where a dashcam could have prevented the unfortunate fallout of the Sunday afternoon incident:
Same sunday, same cars. Although this time, you’ve got a dashcam on board your vehicle. It’s monitoring a wide field of view in full 4k, ensuring nothing slips past it. Your dashcam captures you making a complete stop, and from the periphery is able to catch the vehicle that eventually hits your car. No one is injured, and you approach the vehicle to exchange insurance information. The person is denying any fault, but frankly, that doesn’t matter at this point. The dashcam footage you’ve captured is recorded and stored.
Many dashcams can also pinpoint your location on GPS, and can monitor your speed. So not only do you have proof of no fault, you also have proof that you were doing the speed limit or under. This is all valuable information for the police, or when making an insurance claim.
WHAT NOW?
If there is real vehicle damage, you’ll likely be contacting your insurance company in order to make a claim. They’ll ask you questions about the incident, a description of the damage, and other particulars before sending someone to make an assessment.
This is where your dashcam footage is going to become extremely valuable. By providing your insurance company with the dash cam video, you have protected yourself from potentially unfair penalties. Also, if the police are involved and you have given a police report that contradicts the other driver’s, a dashcam video proving your side of the story will allow you to avoid any possible lawsuits, and will enable you to contact a lawyer and prove your case.
There is no better way to get peace of mind, protect yourself from fraud or vandalism, or save yourself from vehicle repair costs than with a high-quality dashcam.
Dashcam footage is stored safely on the SD Card, and records only when you need it. There are no worries about storage space, because unused footage is automatically discarded after a certain amount of time.
DOES A DASHCAM WORK EVEN WITH TINTED WINDOWS?
Tinted windows are a great way to protect yourself and the interior of your vehicle from the hot sun. They also offer a layer of privacy that some drivers enjoy. The question often arises though: do dashcams still work with tinted windows? In short, the answer is YES. As long as your eyes can see out of tinted windows, so can your dashcam. There may be a slight degradation of video quality at night, but a dashcam facing a tinted window is still able to capture vivid detail of the outside world—and most importantly will still offer you the protection and peace of mind you need.
