Splurge a bit on a dashcam now to possibly save a load of money, and more importantly stress, in the future.
During an engagement session with news editors on road safety recently, transport minister Anthony Loke stated that the government had no plans thus far to make dashcams (dashboard cameras) a mandatory requirement in all cars. And while this policy is perhaps a relief to those who possibly can’t spare the few hundred ringgit on one of these automotive accessories during these trying times right now, it really beggars belief really for those who could to still not have one fitted to their cars yet!
Now of course, it doesn’t take a genius to work out why splurging on one of these nifty automotive accessories may be a good idea. There is after all way less of the he said, she said headache to come right after an accident (or as is more common these days, insurance scams) when the dashcam footage is submitted as evidence.
It is worth highlighting too that the peace of mind offered by installing a dashcam does further extend past the point after an accident has occurred. Such is for the thought of having a constant recording of the road to already offer a baseline level of stress relief, by being safe in the knowledge that the actions of all these idiots on the road is on the record.
What more is that dash cams do at least also provide somewhat of a deterrence to car thefts. This does not just stem from the fact that most now have the capability (albeit a battery draining one) to record any potential misdemeanour when the vehicle is parked, but some higher-end models now even include GPS trackers that will at least ping a location if one’s pride and joy does end up going walkies in the night.
And on a more light hearted note as well, there is naturally also some fun to be had (at someone else’s expense) from posting on social media the many stupid stunts people pull on the Malaysian roads.
Just to end with a personal anecdote here, this writer has to admit that he himself was an ardent resistor to installing a dashcam at first. Though it was more for the rather vain (and admittedly odd) reason of wanting to maintain a totally clean windscreen, with the idea of having loose wires dangling and this unsightly brick stuck on it being not the most enticing prospect.
There was also the slight resistance in having a record of his own admittedly heavy-footed driving style too… But this mindset was quickly changed however after getting into a minor fender bender with a motorcycle (for which the motorcycle was totally at fault by the way).
Fortunately the prang was rather minimal, but the thought of potentially being involved in something more serious in the future did quickly see for his personal ride to be fitted with a dashcam the very next day. Though the takeaway here is perhaps to not be like this writer and wait for something to happen, before only getting one of these vital automotive accessories installed.
