I doubt these devices need much introduction, we have all seen at least one video recorded via dashcam by now, and probably involving Russians.
The Dashcam first became popular in Russia because insurance fraud is a widespread problem there. So, to combat this, drivers installed cameras to show their side of the story whilst others were claiming the driver was at fault. In polar opposite of Russia; The United States drivers want to prove what somebody else did in a situation to harm them or their car.
Obviously, there are a number of reasons you may want to install a dashcam:
Driving accidents?
When you really need to prove that you were not at fault.
Parking accidents?
Going out for the day and you leave your car in the shopping centres car park only to come back and find someone has dented your boot.
Insurance fraud?
This helps insurance companies so that they do not have to pay out for false claims (in an ideal world this brings down the customers costs). On a side note to this, many insurance companies now offer discounts if you have a dashcam.
Showing off driving skills?
Think you are the next Colin Mcrae, or, want to give Jeremy Clarkson a run for his money.
Documenting your road trip?
Travelling across Europe for a six month sabbatical, why not record the whole magical journey.
Capturing the unexpected?
UFO travels across your view, here’s the proof!
There are a number of devices on the market today, offering pretty much the same service. Some of them have built in WiFi for example whereas others are very basic. It really depends on how much you want to pay for it and where/why you want it.
There is also an app available (Nexar) now for your phones. This utilises your phones cameras and in the future will add real-time warnings alerting of danger on the road ahead.
Also See: Looking for an Affordable Dash Cam? Get Streetwize