Two in Five 'Considering a Dash Cam'

Road Vision

According to new research from the RAC, TWO IN five UK drivers are thinking about installing a dashboard camera.

26% of motorists (thats over a quarter!) think the UK should take the lead in combating 'crash-for-cash' scams, where people deliberately cause crashes in such a way as to make it appear that the other driver was at fault, before claiming large sums of compensation.

The RAC's research shows that 71% of the more than 1,600 drivers it polled believe that introducing in-car cameras would help to cut fraudulent car insurance claims. 39% said they were thinking about installing a dash-cam, just 4% of drivers actually have one at the moment.

Of that 4%, almost three in five (59%) said the main reason they installed it was to record what happened in the event of an accident, with 21% specifically wanting to protect themselves against crash-for-cash scams.

The RAC quotes statistics from the Association of British Insurers describing a 34% increase in bogus car insurance claims in 2013.

The company's head of external affairs, Pete Williams, said: “Accident cameras or in-car cameras are commonplace in some countries where unscrupulous driving practices are a more regular occurrence.
“With ‘crash-for-cash’ crimes unfortunately becoming more prevalent on UK roads, motorists are looking to in-car cameras to protect themselves from being taken advantage of.”
Elsewhere in the study, 72% of respondents said they would consider installing a dash-cam if it brought them lower insurance premiums, and 70% said they thought an increased number of dash-cam installations would reduce fraud.