Benefits of a Dash Cam: Why Install One in Your Vehicle

Fit a dashcam because it gives you a video record of what happened on the road. That record settles accident and insurance disputes, shows who damaged a parked vehicle and gives a manager something concrete to coach from. A 4G dashcam adds GPS tracking, live view and clips that upload without anyone collecting a card.

What is a dashcam?

A dashcam is a small camera mounted on the windscreen that records while the vehicle is driven. It starts with the ignition, saves footage to a memory card in a loop, and overwrites the oldest files when the card is full. A G-sensor locks the clip after an impact so that it is not overwritten. Fleet models add GPS, a second lens for the cabin or the rear, a 4G modem and AI alerts for the driver: standard on the D9 and D3, optional on the WD02.

Six benefits

1. Evidence after a collision. Video with time and GPS position shows who did what, where two accounts disagree.
2. Protection from false claims. The same footage answers a staged accident or an exaggerated injury claim.
3. A record while parked. The A5, A3, A6 and A18 have parking monitoring; the A18 sends an alert if a collision is detected while it is parked.
4. Location and live view. A 4G dashcam shows where each vehicle is and lets a manager open the camera, without waiting for the driver to return.
5. Warnings for the driver. On the D9, ADAS warns of forward collisions and lane departures, and DMS detects yawning, closed eyes and distraction.
6. Coaching from real events. In the Traqcare platform, events roll up into a score for each driver, so coaching goes to the people who need it.

Advantages and disadvantages

How to choose a dashcam

• Resolution. 1080p is 1920 × 1080. The D2, A5 and A3 record the road in 2K (2560 × 1440), which is 1.78 times the pixels.
• Lenses. The D9 records the road and the cabin. The A5 records the road and the rear. The D9 and WD02 take two more cameras.
• Storage. At 4 Mbps, a 64 GB card holds about 33 hours from one 1080p camera. The D9, D2, A5, A3, A6 and S202 take cards up to 512 GB; the A18, D3 and B5 up to 128 GB.
• Night. An infrared cabin lens sees the driver in the dark. WDR on the road lens balances headlights and shadow.
• Connectivity. Wi-Fi transfers clips to a phone at the vehicle. 4G gives live view and remote download.

The storage calculator and the 4G data calculator work out the card size and the data plan for your setup.

Fitting and upkeep

Mount the camera behind the rear-view mirror, where it does not block the driver's view or sit in an airbag's path. Power it from a circuit that switches with the ignition, or hardwire it with a low-voltage cutoff if you want it to record while parked. Our guide on dashcams and battery drain covers the wiring.

• Format the memory card in the camera before first use.
• Replace cards about once a year in vehicles that drive every day.
• Check local rules on camera placement, audio recording and using footage as evidence.

Browse our dashcams or contact us for a recommendation.