7 Reasons Not To Have A Dash Cam

I’m sure you have been told a dozen time about how absolutely essential it is to have a dash cam and why you must have one. Surely there is no denying that a dash cam is crucial for every vehicle, but did you ever think of reasons not to buy a dash cam?

A dash cam, short for dashboard camera, is a device that records footage while you drive which can serve as important evidence if needed. But, sometimes a dash cam can be more trouble than it’s worth. In this article, we will list all reasons to prove why you should not get a dash cam for your car.

With that said, let’s roll in.

Table of Contents

• 7 Reasons Why You Should Not Have A Dash Cam
  • Distraction While Driving
  • Evidence Against You
  • Privacy Breach
  • Expensive
  • Higher Chance Of Theft
  • Doesn’t Record Rear Footage
  • Battery Drain
• Conclusion
• FAQs

7 Reasons Why You Should Not Have A Dash Cam

Sure, dashcams are a great invention that keep track of all that happens during your travels and can be a real lifesaver, but they can sometimes be a nuisance. In fact, in certain situations, you’d rather wish you didn’t have a dashcam at all.

So let’s find out why you are better off without a dashcam instead of investing in one.

Distraction While Driving

If a dash cam is not correctly mounted on the windshield, it can obstruct the driver’s view and cause serious accidents. Also, often times drivers get distracted by adjusting the dash cam while driving and bump into vehicles.

In short, a dash cam can be a cause of mishaps on the road by diverting the driver’s attention or simply obscuring the view. This is a big reason why you shouldn’t have a dash cam in your car, especially if you easily get distracted.

However, nowadays modern dash cams that are available in the market are small and compact and easily fit behind the rearview mirror. This means they are out of sight and do not obstruct the view or create a distraction.

Evidence Against You

As paradoxical as it may sound, it is true. A dash cam whose main purpose is to capture evidence that will save you from a ton of trouble can actually be used against you.

This happens when you break the law, cross the speed limit or be responsible for an accident. In this case, your dash cam will record your irresponsible behavior and plunge you in a great deal of trouble with the legal authorities by serving as evidence against you.

It’s especially true if an accident is caused by your negligence. In this situation, your dashcam recording might land you in trouble, even if outwardly you seemed innocent. The same goes for over speeders and reckless drivers.

Privacy Breach

Apart from recording the front view of your vehicle, most dash cams also capture footage and record audio from inside the vehicle. This is a serious invasion of privacy and personal space, as most dash cams start recording automatically and don’t need to be manually operated.

Dash cams record private and secret conversations, which is a major privacy breach. This is an important concern not only for the driver but also passengers in case of taxis. Moreover, in some states, it is illegal to record someone without their permission. Click here to read more about

Expensive

A good dash cam that has a good video quality, wide field of view and offers features like Wi-Fi and GPS doesn’t cost less than $100. So if are thinking about getting a dash cam then you must be mentally prepared to spend some serious cash.

Apart from the buying cost of a dashcam, you also have to pay for installation charges and maintenance cost. If you’re seeking a low-cost dash cam, check out our guide on the best dash cams under $50.

Higher Chance Of Theft

I know this sounds absurd, but having a dash cam in your car can actually increase the chances of theft. This is especially true if your dash cam isn’t hardwired, which makes it easy to steal. This happens because a dash cam appears quite appealing to thieves due to its sleek and modern design, which encourages theft.

Doesn’t Record Rear Footage

Most dash cams are front facing, so they record only the forward view. This means if your car gets hit from behind, the footage will be out of view and no evidence will be recorded. In this case, a dash cam will record only one side of the story and will be of no use to prove your innocence.

However, most high-end dash cams that are available nowadays offer multiple cameras that not only record the front view, but also the rear view. But such dash cams are quite exorbitantly priced. If you’re seeking a dash cam that records from multiple sides, see our guide on the best 3-channel dash cams.

Battery Drain

Even though there are many ways to power your dash cam, the most common method is to run it through car batteries. This leads to a drain of car batteries. This is especially important for dash cams that record in parking mode.

However, this isn’t much of a problem since the dash cam draws only a minimum amount of power from the car battery that doesn’t significantly affect its battery life. Also, nowadays, advanced dash cams are available that automatically stop recording when the car battery starts to go down.

Conclusion

We all know how important it is to have a dash cam installed in our vehicles. It proves to be an absolute lifesaver when the recording saves you from nerve-wracking police cases and unfair insurance claims. However, there are situations where you’d rather wish not to have a dash cam.

For example, when you accidentally break the traffic signal and your dash cam recording serves as strong evidence against you to prove that. Also, it might distract you and cause an accident. Until next time, cheers!

FAQs

Here we answer the most-searched questions regarding reasons not to have a dash cam.