Can I recommend that your readers fit in-car cameras in case of accidents?
In two recent issues you invited recommendations of car camera systems that run on a “loop” and can record the build up to crashes. As a result of suffering two crashes on local mini roundabouts where women have driven entirely over the white circle and hit my stationary car I have fitted an SVC100GPS. It records to a SD card, which can be connected to a PC via the supplied USB adapter.
The supplied 2gigabyte SD card provides 37min recording at 15 frames/second and 640 x 480 resolution and longer times at lower specs. A 16GB would provide seven hours' recording. GPS means that when the SD card is connected to a PC a map can show the route taken along with the camera output. As well as speed, there are also three acceleration sensors (in the three planes, up/down, left/right and front/back). It can record continuously or just capture an event (by always having the previous 10 seconds and the 10 seconds after the acceleration sensors detect an event). The camera lead comes supplied with a cigarette lighter plug, but it could be wired into the 12V circuit.
Of course I've had no accident since fitting the forward camera (rear camera needs to be wired in - no cigarette lighter at the back) but if I'd had this before my first accident it would have saved me 100-150 hours of my time, including 170+ telephone calls (all recorded, taking 27 hours) on that accident alone. In both cases my useless insurance company (More Than, part of Royal & Sun Alliance) advised me to accept 50 per cent and 100 per cent responsibility.
The supplied 2gigabyte SD card provides 37min recording at 15 frames/second and 640 x 480 resolution and longer times at lower specs. A 16GB would provide seven hours' recording. GPS means that when the SD card is connected to a PC a map can show the route taken along with the camera output. As well as speed, there are also three acceleration sensors (in the three planes, up/down, left/right and front/back). It can record continuously or just capture an event (by always having the previous 10 seconds and the 10 seconds after the acceleration sensors detect an event). The camera lead comes supplied with a cigarette lighter plug, but it could be wired into the 12V circuit.
Of course I've had no accident since fitting the forward camera (rear camera needs to be wired in - no cigarette lighter at the back) but if I'd had this before my first accident it would have saved me 100-150 hours of my time, including 170+ telephone calls (all recorded, taking 27 hours) on that accident alone. In both cases my useless insurance company (More Than, part of Royal & Sun Alliance) advised me to accept 50 per cent and 100 per cent responsibility.
Asked on 2 November 2012 by PF, Purley
Answered by
Honest John
Many thanks for this. I had an enormous reader response almost instantly and as a result have about eight links in the relevant entry here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/useful-websites/parts-accesso.../
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