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Around one in five drivers use a dash cam on a daily basis, it has emerged.

A survey conducted by webuyanycar.com found an increasing number of motorists are now relying on dash cam technology to protect themselves and to monitor other road users.

Over 60 per cent have recorded a road traffic accident, dangerous driving, a car related crime or anti-social behaviour from pedestrians.

A recent freedom of information request by webuyanycar.com revealed the Metropolitan Police have reported a seven per cent reduction of motor collisions, year-on-year, from March 2017 to March 2018.

On average, there were approximately 397 fewer collisions per month on the Met Police’s roads in the 12 months leading up to March 2018, than the previous year.
Data from the Met Police also revealed a dramatic reduction in Traffic Offence Reports and Fixed Penalty Notices in the past 12 months, dropping by a staggering 30 per cent.

Over a third of those with a cam have captured footage of dangerous driving, including tailgating, while 12 per cent have caught anti-social behaviour from pedestrians on camera. With the rise of ‘cash for crash’ incidents, some dash cam users have managed to record a fraudulent crash on their dash cam.

Richard Evans, head of technical services at webuyanycar.com, said: “We’re huge advocates of safe driving here at webuyanycar.com and it’s great to see a rise in motorists investing in motor safety technology.

“It is reassuring to see that road traffic accidents are on the decline and we hope that the number of collisions on the UK’s roads continues to drop.

As motor technology evolves, we look forward to seeing future developments in technology that will help to make our roads a safer place.”

Richard Evans added: “It is important for motorists to feel safe behind the wheel and that is undoubtedly driving the rise in dash cam use. Safety and security is also important when selling a car and that’s why webuyanycar.com offers motorists a safe place to sell their car in our branches nationwide.”

The survey reported that eight in 10 of those with a dash cam say it offers them peace of mind if they’re ever involved in a road traffic accident, while almost a quarter say the cam makes them feel safer on the road.

Another 16 per cent of drivers reported feeling more conscious of hazards on the road with a dash cam fitted.

The research, commissioned by webuyanycar.com, showed that drivers in Northern Ireland are most likely to have a dash cam fitted than anywhere else in the UK, with 29 per cent of motorist investing in the technology.

Motorists with cars priced over £15,000 are three times more likely to own and use a dash cam than drivers of cars valued £1,000 or less.

It has also been revealed that it is the more experienced driver who is investing in dash cam technology, with motorists aged 46 or over comprising more than 60 per cent of dash cam owners.

Of those that don’t have a dash cam, over a quarter believe they aren’t necessary, while 15 per cent of motorists are put off by having to install one.

Article by Astrid Hall

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