A client from Surrey BC recently contacted us to inquire about adding a dash cam to their Honda Civic. The client was looking for a way to monitor when their teenagers drive the vehicle. They recently got their new driver licence from ICBC. The client wanted to use it as a learning tool to educate their teenager and to cover them if an incident occurred.
Red Light & Speed Camera Notifications
Some new drivers tend to have a heavy foot while driving and may be prone to making a few bad decisions. The Thinkware FA200 when paired with GPS antenna will give you notifications of red light and speed camera notifications. Can you imagine driving 70km an hour and then the Thinkware dash cam says, “Red Light Camera in 500 metres, speed limit is 50km an hour.” This will prompt most drivers to look down and check how fast they are going, hopefully preventing some unwanted speeding tickets.
Records Incidents While Driving and Parked
The Thinkware FA200 dash camera separates your video recordings into file folders. They are separated into continuous, continuous incident, motion detection, parking incident, and manual recording.
Continuous- Will constantly record while driving, record over old video footage and continuously record.
Continuous Incident- This feature will record when there is an impact to the G-Sensor while driving. Hard braking, drive over a speed bump aggressively, hit a pothole, or car accidents.
Motion Detection – When this is activated it will record all movement around the vehicle.
Parking Incident – While parked the dash cam will record any impacts to the vehicle.
Manual Recording- Just hit the REC button on the dash camera to save an incident you witnessed while driving.
Download Videos Directly To Your Phone or Desktop
The Thinkware FA200 Dash Cam allows you to pair your smartphone to the unit and download videos directly to the phone. Simply download the Thinkware Dash Cam Viewer App from Play Store or App Store. Follow the instructions for Android or Apple. This makes it easy to share videos via social media, You Tube, Police, or Insurance company. Or simply take the SD card out of the unit and view on your computer.
Feel free to contact us regarding a dash cam for your Honda Civic.
Getting in an auto accident is bad enough as it is. The last thing you need is the additional headache of trying to get the fair compensation you’re owed for a car accident that wasn’t even your fault. If that wouldn’t be bad enough, your auto insurance could go up in price too! Luckily, this is avoidable if you have a dash cam or in-car dashboard camera installed in your car. Nothing speaks louder than the undisputed video evidence that your dash camera will provide. Here are some additional reasons for having a dash camera in your vehicle.
Have a Clear Record of other Reckless/Irresponsible Drivers
Unfortunately, there are some crazy drivers out there that are prone to road rage, drunk driving, hit and runs, and much worse. With a dash cam, you won’t need to scramble for pen and paper to write down their tag number; you’ll have it all recorded right there along with the person’s face and any inflammatory things that are said.
Prevent Auto Insurance Fraud
Even if you get in an accident and the other driver seems to be acting in good faith, their experience of the events will inevitably be completely different than yours. You can’t afford to have the outcome of your settlement depend on a “he said vs. she said” dispute. It’s all too common for accident scenes to be misjudged entirely by the other driver and the officer whose responsibility is to make the call.
Additionally, it’s not unheard of for a pedestrian or other driver to fake injuries or straight up lie about what happened in the accident. The dashcam is 100% impartial and the most accurate way to recall the accident as it happened. Then, you’ll be guaranteed to have the fairest and most accurate auto insurance settlement without the unnecessarily inaccurate factor of human judgment and bias involved.
Get Out of Paying Incorrect Traffic Tickets and the Auto Insurance Hikes that Come After
If the police pull you over for a supposed traffic violation that you didn’t commit, good luck convincing the police officer that they don’t know what they saw. We all have blind spots, and there’s absolutely nothing as powerful as the undisputed video evidence that you did not commit the traffic violation. Even if the officer proceeds with issuing the ticket after you’ve shown them the video evidence at the scene, you can appeal and dispute the case in a court of law using the dashcam video evidence as clear proof to a judge to get your justice. Using a dash camera will not only save you money but can clear your driving record and reduce any potential additional fees you would’ve incurred on your auto insurance premiums.
Capture Hit-and-Run Assailants and Vandals
Even when you’re not driving, your car could be in danger of being vandalized, sideswiped, broken into, or more. Luckily some dash cams activate by a motion sensor, so if anyone tries to break in or do any harm to your vehicle, the dash camera will trigger on and capture the assailant right in the middle of the act. Hopefully, this is unlikely where you park your car, but you just never know what can happen. And why take the risk when you can so easily take proactive measures to increase your security, peace of mind, and lower your risk of financial catastrophe.
Record Family Road Trips and Vacations
On a more positive note, your vehicle dash cam is perfect for recording the many precious moments of your next family road trip. You won’t even realize it’s there, and years down the road, you’ll have a priceless memento of that unforgettable trip!
All in all, when you look at the whole picture, it’s a no-brainer. Having a dash camera installed in your auto vehicle will inevitably save you time, money, and loads of stress. You won’t have to dispute auto insurance claims wagering your word against someone else’s. You won’t need to be beholden to how the police officer is feeling that day. Don’t be left guessing if, god forbid, your vehicle is broken into one day. You’ll have the video evidence all recorded and ready to help keep your peace of mind intact and your wallet full.
We at Safe Drive Solutions know how it feels when you are new to the dash cam market and are looking for your first dash camera. For this very reason, we have gathered some of the most crucial aspects you should pay attention to when choosing your dash cam.
We want our customers to be well-informed before buying their first dash cam to finding a replacement camera. The today’s market offers hundreds of dash camera models to choose from. While some of them can be a great choice, others might not meet your needs or serve their main purpose – to keep you safe on the road.
The first thing you should do when choosing your dash cam is to clarify your needs and prioritize them. For instance, do you often drive at night, and therefore need high-resolution nighttime video? Will you need a large SD card capacity? Is it required to have the best parking mode recording?
After making a list of what you are expecting from your future dash cam, you can jump straight into dash cam specs. Some technical terms might make you scratch your head, and this is when Safe Drive Solution buyers’ guide comes into play. Let’s go into more detail!
Single Channel vs Dual Channel
Although these terms might sound complicated at first, their meaning is simple – single channel stands for footage out the front, and dual channel – from both ends of the car.
Front recording, also called single channel or 1-CH, captures the front windscreen only, and is nowadays a more popular option as it can be easily installed. Dual channel, or 2-CH dash cams require some more effort, as there is a power cord connecting the front camera with the back one. Nevertheless, dual cams allow to record a fuller image in case you are hit from behind or get suspicious tailgaters.
If you are looking for an all-encompassing solution providing maximum level of security, then a dual dash cam might work best for you. Nevertheless, check out all options and consult a specialist before making a final decision.
Video Quality
When it comes to video quality, we recommend aiming at 1080P FULL HD or higher. If you decide to go for a less expensive option offering poorer video quality, you risk lowering your ability to recognize details such as a license plate and getting blurry pixelated images. However, resolution is not the only aspect to consider. Pay attention to:
Lens apertures. The larger the aperture is, the higher the video quality will be.
ISO values. High ISO value results in clearer image at night.
Frame rate. Higher frame rates, such as 60FPS significantly improve video recording by smoothing out motion blur.
Bit rate. The higher the rate is, the sharper and clearer images your dash camera will take.
Dash Cam Appearance
When we talk about dash cam appearance, we mean not only how well it suits your car interior, but also how safe it will be for you to drive with it. Generally, the smaller the dash cam is, the less distracting it will be when driving. Moreover, smaller dash cameras are less noticeable from outside the vehicle, which will prevent any break-ins.
As for the color, we would advise to opt for darker colors with matt finish. Shiny details and bright colors can reflect the light off your windscreen, which will inevitably create greater driving distractions and obstruction in the recording. Black matt dash cameras will not only provide a safer driving experience, but also look more discreet from the outside.
Still Hesitating?
If you are not sure what dash camera to choose, Safe Drive Solutions team is here to help you out. Contact us now at info@safedrivesolutions.com, or browse our catalogue to choose the best dash cam among the models we offer! Or get a free Quote.
Dash cams are very useful. It records virtually even while parked. Are you curious to know about the ‘Parking Mode?’ It is available in premium dash cameras that it provides protection around-the-clock, and you can enjoy vehicle surveillance at all times.
What is the dash cam parking mode?
Parking mode is when a dash cam stays inside a vehicle powered. It is a feature that works as a surveillance system when the vehicle is not in running condition. Parking mode means the dash cam is efficient to know the parking place of the vehicle. It has GPS built-in.
The dash cam enters video recording and records video files constantly to the memory card as you are driving. However, with the feature of parking mode, the dash cam detects automatically your vehicle is in parked-mode. At such a point, a dash cam is on high alert for any motion or movement. Any object or person passing near the vehicle can experience an impact through the built-in G-sensor, that the dash cam springs into action, and all the events are saved into the memory card. Thus, only useful recordings are in the memory card as a storage.
The less advanced dash cams do not feature the functionality of true parking mode. It records everything happening in the surroundings and your vehicle. It does not wait for any impact or motion. As it records anything and everything, there is a need to have a large memory card to hold footage of several hours. If not, the important events may get overlapped, and saving the essential footage may go out of hand.
How is dash cam parking mode useful?
Your vehicle burglary happens when you are sleeping or away from your vehicle. It means you should install an alarm system to alert you. Now, you can opt for a dash cam installation as an anti-theft device. It works as an evidence to know who broke into and at what time. Some of the units even have a blinking led light you can turn on for a deterrent.
On a busy street, sideswiping of vehicles is common. Having a parking mode enabled dash cam is helpful to claim the insurance, instead of bearing it on own. The evidence will make the insurance company, or the culprit liable to bear the expenses. The dash cam parking mode feature is useful even in a hit and run case, when your car is not in function.
The parking mode ensures, peace of mind on leaving your car unattended. The dash cam in parking mode captures the events. It also averts vandalism as there is a blinking light or a visible camera lens that compels people to accept their fault in situations such as a hit and run. Dash cams in the parking mode is capable of capturing video events such as time-lapse imagery or thunderstorms and lightning.
The parking mode is useful for personal use and commercial vehicles. It gives the fleet owner to keep a check on the drivers on the road. The parking mode features enables checking when the engine is working or shut off. Even if a vehicle gets stolen, the dash cams record in the parking mode gives enough security while parked. You can decide if your drivers are accountable or if you must monitor vehicles.
The dash cams work with the operation of the vehicle. However, if you want the parking mode to work, it should stay constantly connected to a power source. If so, it keeps working, even when your vehicle engine is off.
Wrapping Up
Now, learning about the dash cams record while parked with the parking mode feature ensures you make an informed decision while buying one. Look for outstanding performance of parking mode and if there are any more additional features of parking mode.
