Does a Dashcam Reduce Insurance?
Dashcams are becoming more popular by the day. Some have them to capture their journeys, and others use them for peace of mind on the road. Regardless of the reason for having them, the burning question is whether having a dashcam can reduce your insurance. In short, yes and no.
Eswatini roads are notorious. From hijackings and smash-and-grabs to deadly road rage incidents, having tools to protect yourself is a must.
Many small bumper bashes aren’t reported, and this is because it’s just not worth the hassle and the whole he-said-she-said argument that ends up happening. How many times have you driven behind a car whose brake lights weren’t working, praying that it wouldn’t stop abruptly?
These reasons are exactly why many people and businesses are choosing to get dashcams and other AI-powered cameras in their vehicles. At Cartrack, globally to date, we’ve installed a total of 208,444 cameras!
Does having a dashcam reduce insurance?
Unfortunately in Eswatini, having a dashcam DOES NOT automatically reduce your insurance premiums. Some insurance providers may lower your premiums, but this isn’t the standard across most of them. Now this may be disappointing to many, but just because it doesn’t currently reduce premiums, this doesn’t mean it never will.
Dashcams are still incredibly useful in Eswatini.
How does a dashcam actually help with insurance?
So, if a dashcam doesn’t automatically reduce my insurance premium, how does it help? Well, evidence, that’s how. Dashcams provide indisputable evidence that you can give to your insurance to help with many in-vehicle claims you might have.
Let’s take a deeper look at what it can help with.
Accidents
When you have a dashcam, you can actually prove that the person you rear-ended didn’t have working brakes before you hit them. Depending on the type of dashcam you have, you can also have proof of a hit-and-run or proof that you hit a pothole and it damaged your suspension.
Theft
In Eswatini, smash-and-grabs are common, especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic. If your phone or laptop gets stolen out of your vehicle while you’re driving, a dashcam can support your claim and help speed up the process.
Fraud
Many people try to commit fraud and cause accidents on purpose. Having a dashcam installed in your vehicle can protect you from any false claims and remove the he-said-she-said scenarios to give you peace of mind in these situations.
What are the laws surrounding dashcams?
With the Data Protection Act (DPA) of 2022, many people are uncertain around the laws of having a dashcam in Eswatini. The Data Protection Act is a law that’s in place to protect personal information of all people and organisations in the Kingdom.
Now, does a dashcam infringe on this act? Yes, but only if you’re not using it responsibly. If you have passengers in your vehicle and you have a dashcam that records in the cabin, it’s best to let them know. If you’re in an altercation on the road, you should let the other person know that you have a dashcam recording.
If you’re a fleet owner and you install cameras in your vehicles, you need to let your drivers know and acknowledge that they’ll be recorded for security reasons.
Let’s say you see someone driving recklessly on the road, and your dashcam records this. DO NOT post it on social media. This is in direct violation of the Data Protection Act. Any footage that helps with an accident or other incident on the road should ONLY be given to the police and your insurance.
Are there specific dashcams that are preferred by insurance companies?
No, there aren’t any specific dashcams preferred by insurance companies because they’re not a requirement. However, just because there isn’t a specific one they like, this doesn’t mean that you should just get any dashcam off the first site you click on in your Google search.
We know that dashcams can help speed up claims and prove your innocence. But if your dashcam isn’t capturing the footage clearly enough or doesn’t have certain features, it can end up being pointless to even have.
Important features to look for in a dashcam are:
- A dual camera that records the road and inside the cabin
- High-quality video footage
- Night vision
- Cloud-based storage
- Wide-lens angles
- Time & date stamps
- Event detection (accident, distracted driving, etc.)
What proof is needed from a dashcam for an insurance claim?
If you’re in a situation on the road and you need to claim from your insurance provider, your dashcam can help. But this isn’t without conditions. You need to provide the original, unedited footage to your insurance provider. The footage should ideally have the time and date on it as well as the audio.
Why is dashcam audio important? Audio helps to provide context. Was anyone hooting, could you hear tyres screeching on the road?
Another thing that can help your claim is telematics connected to your camera. Advanced telematics show your speed and exact location. When you have a dual camera, you can prove that you weren’t distracted on the road as well.
All of this information tells the complete story to your insurance provider (at least from your side) and can help speed up a complex claim and prove your innocence.
Why do you need dashcams in your fleet?
For the everyday driver, dashcams are a nice to have. But, for businesses with vehicles on the road, dashcams are a must. Your fleets are on Eswatini roads at all hours of the day and in various areas; a dashcam can protect your business in multiple ways.
However, it’s important for us to state that businesses CANNOT have a basic dashcam that just plugs into the car lighter port and think they’re covered. As a business, you need an advanced AI-powered camera system that’s connected to a GPS telematics device.
AI-powered cameras that record both in and out of the vehicle are necessary because they monitor the road and also how your drivers are behaving in the vehicle. If your driver is dozing off or on their phone while driving, an AI-powered camera will immediately alert the driver to correct their behaviour. And as a fleet manager you’ll be alerted as well.
A camera that’s designed for fleets will:
- Improve your driver’s safety
- Increase driver accountability
- Assist with fleet management
- Assist with driver training
- Deter theft
- Save costs
Dashcams for fleets and insurance
Now a dashcam may not automatically reduce insurance premiums for the everyday commuter, but for operations that have a lot of high-risk vehicles on the roads, you do have a greater chance of having your premiums reduced. This is because you have more than one vehicle insured by your provider; your vehicles are more expensive and your cameras are more advanced.
Let’s take a look at a possible scenario. Your driver David has been in an accident with your 16-wheeler. He drove off the road, and the truck rolled, writing it off and damaging the stock it was carrying. On top of that, David is now injured. As a fleet manager you now have a million things to handle, including claiming from your insurance provider.
This situation can go a few ways.
Scenario 1
Let’s say you don’t have a dashcam and telematics in your truck. Now it’s a back and forth with your insurance provider, and you can’t prove that David swerved off the road to avoid hitting a cow on the rural road he was travelling. Because let’s be honest, that sounds a little far-fetched.
Scenario 2
You have a plug-and-play dashcam that you found at a random online shop installed in your truck. When you try to get the footage to send to your insurance company, the footage is damaged, and you can’t use it to prove your driver’s claim.
Scenario 3
You have a Cartrack AI-powered dual vision camera and telematics device installed in your truck. You can pull the high-quality footage clearly showing the cow running into the road and that your driver wasn’t distracted while driving as well.
The telematics device allows you to show your driver’s route and his driving behaviour before the accident happened. All of the data you get can be provided to your insurance provider, showing that David is a good driver and that this was an unavoidable accident. Your claim is now quickly approved, and you and David can rest easy.
Camera options from Cartrack
At Cartack we have 5 camera options to choose from for both fleet owners and everyday commuters. These cameras are:
- Road Vision
- Dual Vision
- MultiVision
- AI Dash Pro, and
- AI Multivision.
All five of these can help you with your insurance claims. Let’s take a quick look at their features so you can pick the right one for your unique needs!
Road Vision
Single road-facing camera, perfect to provide simple evidence in an accident.
Dual Vision
This records both inside the cabin and on the road. Perfect for capturing incidents on the road and to see driver & passenger behaviour.
MultiVision
You can get up to 4 cameras to capture in-cabin, on-the-road, external and internal-facing views. This is best for fleets who want visibility of their vehicles and their cargo as well as minimising the chances of blindspot accidents.
AI Dash Pro
With this camera system, you get a dual camera system that you can add extra views to, and it’s equipped with AI capabilities. This camera system allows you to monitor driver behaviour and alerts your drivers in real time as well!
AI Multivision
This is up to 8 cameras, and it’s designed for fleets. You’ll have complete visibility and will give your insurance everything they need in the event of a serious accident.
If you found this blog insightful and want tips on how to save on car insurance, check out this blog.
FAQs
What are common mistakes to avoid when using a dashcam?
There are a few common mistakes that you should avoid when using a dashcam. The most common one is mounting your camera incorrectly; you don’t want your dashcam blocking your view or not capturing the road properly. Other mistakes are not checking if your camera is on & recording, posting footage on social media, and not keeping its software up-to-date.
Can a dashcam drain my car battery?
If you have a professionally installed, top-of-the-range dashcam installed, it should NOT drain your car’s battery. Many dashcams will record for a few minutes after a car has been switched off, but it shouldn’t drain your battery to the point where you can’t start your car.
How long does 128GB take to eat up for a dashcam?
This depends on the resolution your dashcam records in. They usually record in a loop, so they’ll record over footage once they’re full. On a 128GB memory card, if you’re recording in 1080p, you can get up to 24 hours; in 2K, you’ll get up to 16 hours, and in 4K, you can get up to 8 hours of footage.
