Are you thinking of using a spy camera? Think again?

Do you think the use of a spy camera could play a significant role in your life? A few days ago, I was involved in a road accident. My car was hit by a van driver who, in the early hours of Monday morning, was thinking more about how short his weekend had been rather than paying attention to the road conditions. Subsequently, he jumped a red light and hit the front of my car. Fortunately no one was hurt although my car came out worse. We exchanged details and parted company.

Later in the day as I reported the incident to the driver’s insurance company, it quickly dawned on me that the other driver may be dishonest and claim that it was I who had jumped the red light. Although I have an independent witness, the other driver could later produce a friend to act as an “independent witness”. So how does an insurance company ascertain who is at fault when both parties produce their own witnesses? The answer is simple; which outcome will minimise their loss? That judgement may not necessarily be the just one for the wronged party!

There are a number of car recorders in the market with varying functionalities that will make an ideal independent witness. Some record audio and vision of the internal and external of the car simultaneously, day and night. They record on to SD cards in AVI file format with recording times, in some cases, of up to 144 hours.

The video quality is of a very high standard. Video evidence is objective and is ideal for insurance purposes. However, it is not just for accidents that these recorders are being used. Taxi and mini cab drivers are quickly appreciating the benefits of these devices in recording passenger behaviour in their vehicles.