Dashcam

{{Short description|Onboard camera that records through vehicle windows}} {{About||other uses of the term|Dashcam (disambiguation)}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2023}} thumb|Two dashcams on a windshield|alt=A pair of black devices with small monitors stuck with suckers to the inside of a car windshield with blue tint at the top, seen from inside the vehicle

A '''dashboard camera''' or simply '''dashcam''', also known as '''car digital video recorder''' ('''car DVR'''), '''driving recorder''', or '''event data recorder''' ('''EDR'''), is an onboard camera that continuously records the view through a vehicle's front windscreen and sometimes rear or other windows. Some dashcams include a camera to record the interior of the car in 360 degrees inside camera, usually in a ball form, and can automatically send pictures and video using mobile connectivity. In commercial fleets, dashcams are a core component of video telematics systems, which are a key technology used in the broader trend of fleet digitalization and referred to as AI Dashcams.<ref>https://blog.gettransport.com/news/motive-ai-dashcam-safety-technology/</ref><ref>https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/10/06/fleet-intelligence-is-a-strategic-advantage-when-you-use-it-right/</ref>

EDRs and some dashcams record acceleration/deceleration g-force, speed, steering angle, GPS data, voltage of the power source (vehicle's electrical net), etc. A wide-angle 130, 170° or more front camera may be attached to the interior windscreen, to the rear-view mirror (clip on), or to the top of the dashboard, by suction cup or adhesive-tape mount. A rear camera is usually mounted in the rear window or in the registration plate, with an RCA video output to the display monitor/screen.

The resolution will determine the overall quality of the video. Full HD or 1080p (1920×1080) is standard for dash HD cams. Dash cameras may have 1080p, 1296p (common for Chinese dashcams), 1440p, or higher definition for a front camera and 720p for a back camera and include f/1.8 aperture and night vision mode.

==Types== By targeted field of view: *exterior view such as for recording the front view only, the rear view, etc. *cabin or inside viewing mode sometimes also called a taxicam

Some cabin cams include a screen that can be attached to the rear-view mirror employing usually rubber rings or straps or as a direct replacement of the rear view mirror itself. Others attach to the windshield, dash, or other suitable interior surfaces Many dashcams include rechargeable batteries not needed when connected to car battery wire or capacitors.

==Functions== To ensure that recorded video files are not tampered with once they have been recorded, videos can be timestamped in a tamper-proof manner, a procedure termed trusted timestamping. To ensure a reliable 24/7 parking surveillance when capacity is an issue, a motion detector may be used to record only when an approaching human/vehicle is detected, in order to save power and storage media.{{cn|date=May 2026}}Advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and park location save can be included.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

==Commercial fleet applications== [[File:Video telematics device and fleet management software with video functionality.jpg|thumb|A display at a technology exhibition showcases a video telematics device and its accompanying software interface.]] While popular with consumers for insurance and security purposes, dashcams are also used in commercial fleet management. Such dashcams have no screen and have an inbuilt GPS tracking unit and other sensors, and are called AI Dashcams. Thus, they become part of a vehicle tracking system, functioning as video telematics devices. These devices provide vehicle location data for automatic vehicle location. As part of a fleet digitalization strategy, these systems, often managed by fleet management software, are used for incident recording, stolen vehicle recovery, driver coaching and scoring, identifying risky behavior with AI, and improving operational safety and efficiency. Multi-camera systems connected to a central Mobile Digital Video Recorder (MDVR) are often used on larger vehicles like trucks and buses, contributing to a wider Intelligent transportation system.

==SD-cards, satellite and wireless==

=== SD-cards === Dashcams usually use class 10 or above MicroSDHC or MicroSDXC cards usually 16 GB or higher or internal memory to save videos.

=== Satellite === The port to connect the GPS antenna can use a micro USB or 3.5 mm jack connection. The antenna is usually 1575 to 1568 MHz and 3.0 to 5.0 V. GPS coordinate stamping capability is included in most dashcams (some need an external GPS antenna, but other dashcam systems have built-in GPS), and others include GPS (online and offline) navigation.

=== Wireless connectivity === Some dashcams include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G connectivity. This connectivity is fundamental to commercial video telematics, allowing for real-time event alerts, remote coaching, and live streaming from the vehicle to a central fleet management platform. For Bluetooth and voice commands and recording, a built-in microphone is included. 4G triple-cam (also called triple-lens and three-way-cams) sets on rearview mirror are becoming more available (2 front cameras - one 170° to mainly record road, one 360° for sides and doors and a rear camera). 4G is used to send messages, calls, pictures, and videos in parking surveillance mode. Usually a second 360° camera is employed to record the car's sides front doors and windows and inside. Moreover, 4G is used to send a message when the car battery is low.

==Hardwire== {{See also|Fuse (automotive)}}

Dashcam units usually operate via the vehicle electrical system, converting the 13.8V to a 5V USB connector. Dashcams can be plugged in via the cigarette lighter socket, or may be hardwired directly into the electrical system, freeing up the power outlet for other uses. In order to store files and properly format the media card when power is turned off, dashcams use either a Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery or a capacitor. While both provide power for a very short period of time, they have very different operating capabilities and limitations.

LiPo batteries have an estimated life of 2–3 years or roughly 300–500 cycles. Over time, the material inside the battery will start to degrade resulting in out-gassing. This can be observed in a swollen or puffy looking battery case. When a LiPo battery reaches this point, the battery is no longer able to hold a charge. The result is a camera that may randomly turn on or off, or register format errors if it can't shut down correctly when power is turned off since it can only function when using the power from the vehicle. Capacitors can also store a temporary charge and will last much longer. They are also more resistant to higher operating temperatures, but are more expensive and require additional hardware or software support. Generally the LiPo batteries are found in less expensive dashcams and capacitors are used in more expensive dashcams.

==Culture== thumb|Dashcam recording of the Chelyabinsk meteor Dashcams are widespread in Russia<ref name=wired>{{Cite news | author = Lavrinc, Damon | title = Why Almost Everyone in Russia Has a Dash Cam | publisher = Wired | date = 2013-02-15 | url = https://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/02/russian-dash-cams/ }}</ref> as a guard against police corruption and insurance fraud, where they provide additional evidence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jalopnik.com/why-russians-are-obsessed-with-dash-cams-5918159|title=Why Russians Are Obsessed With Dash-Cams|last=Galperina|first=Marina|date=2012-06-13|publisher=Jalopnik.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218033809/https://jalopnik.com/why-russians-are-obsessed-with-dash-cams-5918159|archive-date=18 February 2013|url-status=live|access-date=2014-02-12}}</ref> They have been called "ubiquitous" and "an on-line obsession", and are so prevalent that dashcam recordings were the most common videos of the February 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-dash-cam-video-from-stunning-to-bizarre/ |title=Russian dash cam video: From stunning to bizarre |work=CBS News |date=2013-02-18 |access-date=2014-02-12}}</ref> which was documented from at least a dozen angles. Videos showing automobile and aircraft crashes, close calls, and attempts at insurance fraud have been uploaded to social sharing websites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Yandex, and other websites.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}}

In the United Kingdom, sales of dashcams rocketed in 2015, which was the fastest growing consumer electronic, with sales increasing by 395%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businesscar.co.uk/news/2016/dash-cam-sales-grow-faster-than-tablets-and-digital-cameras-in-2015 |title=Dash cam sales grow faster than tablets and digital cameras in 2015 |access-date=2016-07-08}}</ref> In China, dashcams were well-known by a dramatic event of a road rage.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1787577/mans-brutal-beating-female-driver-divides-chinese-public-after |title=Man's brutal beating of female driver divides Chinese public after different car videos emerge |access-date=2017-05-13}}</ref>{{explain|date=December 2023}} In the United States, it is reported that around 16% of drivers use dashcams with 20% of dash cam owners have used their footage for an insurance claim.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Firm |first=Marc Brown Law |date=2025-01-23 |title=Survey: How Many Drivers Own a Dash Cam? Can They Help After an Accident? [2025] |url=https://www.marcbrownlawfirm.com/blog/dash-cam-statistics/ |access-date=2025-11-11 |website=Marc Brown Law Firm |language=en-US}}</ref>

Dashcams have captured numerous aviation accidents, such as National Airlines Flight 102 in 2013,<ref>{{Citation |last=AEROpress BG |title=National Air Cargo's Boeing 747-400 freighter crash in Afghanistan |date=2013-04-30 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sUWC2jfjqI |access-date=2018-07-15}}.</ref> TransAsia Airways Flight 235 in 2015,<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCormick |first1=Rick |last2=Vincent |first2=James |title=Dashcams capture dramatic footage of Taiwanese plane crash |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/2/4/7975487/transasia-taiwan-plane-crash-dash-cams |website=The Verge |access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref> the Shoreham Airshow crash in 2015.<ref>{{cite AV media |publisher=playboy17220 |title=Shoreham Air Show, Sussex Plane Crash Record by dash cam |date=2015-08-22 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4elbDgf2kro |access-date=2018-07-15 |via=YouTube}}</ref> the catastrophic engine failure of United Airlines Flight 328 in 2021,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Knowles |first=Hannah |title=United flight's engine failure rained debris at least a mile wide near Denver, officials say |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/20/united-airlines-flight-328-engine/ |access-date=2021-02-21 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> and the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 2976 in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-05 |title=‘Oh my god’: Trucker's shocking dashcam video shows moment UPS plane crashed in Kentucky |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/oh-my-god-truckers-shocking-dashcam-video-shows-moment-ups-plane-crashed-in-kentucky-101762321544981.html |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref> Dashboard cameras have become the top feature wanted by future vehicle buyers,<ref>{{cite web |title=DASH CAMERA TOPS LIST OF FEATURES WANTED BY FUTURE VEHICLE BUYERS |url=https://www.autopacific.com/autopacific-insights/2020/7/17/dash-camera-tops-list-of-features-wanted-by-future-vehicle-buyers |website=AutoPacific |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref> and more car manufacturers are incorporating built-in camera systems.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Christopher |title=7 Car Brands with Built-In Dash Cams |url=https://www.eyewitnessdashcams.com/cars-with-built-in-dash-cams/ |website=EyewitnessDashCams |access-date=18 August 2020}}</ref> ==Legality== While dashcams are gaining in popularity as a way of protection against distortion of facts, they also attract negative attitudes for privacy concerns. This is also reflected in the laws of different countries in different and conflicting ways: *Austria prohibits their use if the main purpose is surveillance, which may carry fines of up to € 25,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oeamtc.at/thema/vorschriften-strafen/zulaessigkeit-von-dashcams-im-oesterreichischen-strassenverkehr-16180594// |title=Zulässigkeit von Dashcams im österreichischen Straßenverkehr |publisher=www.oeamtc.at |date=2023-01-20 |access-date=2023-01-20}}</ref> Other uses are legal, although the distinction can be difficult to make.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/dokumente_und_recht/datenschutz/Videoueberwachung-durch-Private.html |title=Videoüberwachung durch Private |publisher=www.oesterreich.gv.at |date=2021-11-30 |access-date=2023-01-20}}</ref> *In Switzerland, their use is strongly discouraged in public space as they may contravene data protection principles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/en/home/data-protection/technologien/videoueberwachung/guidelines-on-video-surveillance-in-vehicles--dashcams-.html |title=Guidelines on video surveillance in vehicles (Dashcams) |publisher=edoeb.admin.ch |access-date=2014-04-21}}</ref> *In Germany,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/dashcam-videokamera-verstoesst-gegen-datenschutzgesetz-a-985756.html |title=Gerichtsurteil zu Videokameras im Auto: Dashcams verstoßen gegen Datenschutzgesetz|publisher=Der Spiegel |date=2014-08-12 |access-date=2014-11-03}}</ref> while small cameras for personal use in vehicles are allowed, posting footage from them on social-media sites is considered a violation of privacy and thus forbidden, if personal data is not blurred in the footage. In 2018, the Federal Court of Justice ruled that although the permanent recording of traffic events is inadmissible under national data protection law, the recordings made may nevertheless be used as evidence in civil proceedings after careful consideration of the interests involved.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://juris.bundesgerichtshof.de/cgi-bin/rechtsprechung/document.py?Gericht=bgh&Art=en&nr=85141&pos=0&anz=1|title=Urteil des VI. Zivilsenats vom 15.5.2018 - VI ZR 233/17 -|website=juris.bundesgerichtshof.de|access-date=2018-08-31}}</ref> It can be assumed that this case law will also apply under the new basic European Data Protection Regulation. *In Luxembourg, it is not illegal to possess a dashcam but it is illegal to use one to capture videos or still images in a public place which includes in a vehicle on a public road. Recording using a dashcam may result in a fine or imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|title = Les caméras de surveillance installées dans les voitures sont-elles licites ?|url = http://www.guichet.public.lu/citoyens/fr/actualites/2014/09/25-camera-voiture/index.html|website = www.guichet.public.lu|access-date = 2016-02-03|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150708030022/http://www.guichet.public.lu/citoyens/fr/actualites/2014/09/25-camera-voiture/index.html|archive-date = 2015-07-08}}</ref> *In Australia, recording on public roadways is allowed as long as the recording does not infringe upon one's personal privacy in a way that may be deemed inappropriate in a court of law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dashcams.com.au/dashcams-101/ |title=Dashcams 101|publisher=Dashcams |date=2013-12-01 |access-date=2016-01-07}}</ref> *In the United States, at the federal level, the video taping of public events is protected under the First Amendment.<ref>[http://www.aclu-md.org/aPress/Press2010/Court_Opinion_092710.pdf ''Opinion granting motion to dismiss.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107120948/http://www.aclu-md.org/aPress/Press2010/Court_Opinion_092710.pdf |date=2011-01-07 }} ''Maryland v. Graber.'' Retrieved 15 March 2016.</ref> Videotaping of non-public events and videotaping-related issues, including sound recording and matters related to time of the day, venue, manner of recording, privacy concerns, implications on motor vehicle moving violation issues such as whether the windshield view is being blocked, are dealt with at the state level. *In Russia, they are explicitly allowed by regulations issued in 2009 by the Ministry of the Interior.{{hsp}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stopca.ru/zakony/prikaz_mvd__185_ob_utverzhdenii_administrativnogo_reglamenta_mvd/|title=Приказ МВД № 185 Об утверждении административного регламента МВД|website=www.stopca.ru|access-date=2018-07-15}}</ref> Courts almost always use the video recorder attached to the analysis of the accident as evidence of guilt or innocence of the driver.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/2013/02/russian-dash-cams/ |title=Why Almost Everyone in Russia Has a Dash Cam |access-date=2020-08-16 |archive-date=2020-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804211502/https://www.wired.com/2013/02/russian-dash-cams/}}</ref>

==Police use== Police departments use dashcams in police vehicles to gather evidence during traffic stops and car chases.<ref>{{cite journal|ssrn=1202043|title=Cross-Examining Film|website=ssrn.com |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1202043}}</ref> Some dashcam systems can be automatically activated when a police car's emergency lights or siren are turned on.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.khou.com/story/news/2014/07/19/11707856/|title=Local police support dash cam policies, protecting citizens and officers|date=25 April 2012|work=KHOU|access-date=30 November 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111859/http://www.khou.com/story/news/2014/07/19/11707856/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-lapd-tamper-20140408-story.html|title=LAPD officers tampered with in-car recording equipment, records show|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/court_orders_state_police_to_h.html|title=Court orders state police to hand over cruiser dash cam video of crash scene|work=PennLive.com}}</ref> Freedom of information laws mean that the footage can be released under some circumstances,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.splc.org/blog/splc/2015/07/court-rulings-bolster-public-access-police-dashcam-video-records|title=Court rulings bolster public access to police videos|work=splc.org}}</ref> and this can be an important tool in reporting on police actions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/brandon_smith_chicago_police_laquan_mcdonald.php|title=How a little-known, Uber-driving freelancer brought the lawsuit that forced Chicago to release a police shooting video|work=Columbia Journalism Review}}</ref> TV shows like ''World's Wildest Police Videos'' have frequently featured car chase videos shot from dashcams. Some police officers accused of police brutality or misconduct tamper with their cameras to disable audio or video recording.<ref>{{cite web|author=Samuel Lieberman |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/01/chicago-police-officers-tampered-with-dash-cams.html |title=Chicago Police Have Been Sabotaging Their Dash Cams |publisher=Nymag.com |date=2016-01-27 |access-date=2016-10-07}}</ref> A report in 2016 showed that in Chicago, 80% of the police dashcams did not work properly. Among the causes were that officers destroyed antennas, hid microphones, and removed batteries or recording media.<ref>[https://time.com/4197930/chicago-dashcam-audio-sabotage/ Time: Chicago Police Officers Sabotaged Dashcams to Block Audio, Report Says] 2016-01-28, ''time.com'', accessed 2020-09-03</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Automobile cameras}} {{Wiktionary}}

Category:Automotive technologies Category:Cameras by type Category:Law enforcement equipment Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Fleet management