Dash cams are becoming popular accessories for drivers everywhere.

We don’t usually think of cameras as being safety equipment, but modern dash cams have become so advanced that they make a big impact on our safety on the road.

If you’re not sure what you’re looking for in a dash cam, here are some important specs to look out for.

GPS

We hope it never happens, but one of the main reasons we use dash cams is to capture evidence if we ever need to present it to police or insurers. With GPS, there’s no question of your speed or your location in the video that’s captured. Rather than trying to convince someone of how fast you think you were going or wher you thought you were at a given time, the GPS takes care of that information for you. It’s always unpleasant to get in a car accident, a GPS in your dash cam can make the whole process much easier for everyone involved.

Parking Mode

In parking mode, a dash cam can stay on while the car is parked and you’re not in it. This can help answer questions in case of unpleasant surprises when you return to your car. If you notice any mysterious damage like door dings, scratches, or something more major, the dash cam could provide answers with parking mode. Parking mode only works if the dash cam is hardwired to permanent power in your car unless the camera has an internal battery. Dash cams with parking mode, will automatically turns the camera on when it detects a bump or a sudden movement. There are small devices inside the camera called accelerometers. As you can probably guess, accelerometers detect and measure acceleration. When those accelerometers are triggered, they turn on the camera so it can possibly pick up whatever is happening.

Driver Assistance Systems

Dash cams can operate as much more than just showing you what’s in front of you or what’s behind you. Some of them are very smart and can detect where the lanes are and the distance between you and other vehicles. If you’re out of your lane or if you’re too close to the car in front of you, some dash cams can give you an audible warning to back off or to get back in your lane. Lane departure warning has been proven to be a very effective way to combat driver inattention. Many luxury car manufacturers are integrating such technology in to their cars. For a fraction of the price, you can add this safety feature to any car. Adjustment can be made to the thresholds at which the warnings go off which is nice if you often drive in heavy traffic, and you don’t want to get too many alerts.

Additional Rear Camera

Most dash cams are just that – cameras that mount to the dash and monitor what’s going on in front of the car. However, some dash cams come with an additional camera to aim out the back of the car. Rear end collisions are the most common type of car accident in Australia. If you’re ever unfortunate enough for that to happen to you, a rear facing camera can provide evidence of what car did it, where it happened, when it happened, and most importantly, the other motorists reaction. If it’s a hit and run situation, that evidence will come in handy.

Neltronics offers state of the art dash cams that could be a perfect fit for your needs. An advanced, yet economical option is the Nesa CDV-DT2. It’s available as a dual camera dash cam, meaning you can get one camera in front and another in the back. 1080p full HD gives you an outstanding image on a bright, colourful screen.

This unit comes with advanced driver assistance systems – lane departure warning and front collision warning.

Dash cams are a safety revolution.

Being able to record exactly what’s going on in front of you and behind you on the road has made life easier and safer.

There are countless cases of dash cam footage coming in handy for drivers, police, and insurers everywhere.

Check out Neltronics for dash cams and other aftermarket safety products for some extra peace of mind behind the wheel.