Maybe it’s time to get a dashcam
This sort of scam has been going on in California for decades; I first heard of it a long time ago, when a friend was a victim.
Now, though, with the advent of dashcams, it’s easier to prove it and even to find the perps:
A crew of bozos targeted unsuspecting drivers in a series of staged crashes on busy Big Apple highways — scoring more than $80,000 in insurance payouts before a viral video brought the fraud ring down.
Jaime Huiracocha, 53, and Victor Murillo, 34, will respectively serve at least one year and two years in prison after pleading guilty to insurance fraud charges, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Katz credited the TikTok clip — of a Honda Civic brazenly backing into another vehicle on the Belt Parkway after a near-miss collision — shown to her by her 15-year-old son with jumpstarting the investigation that uncovered three crashes staged by Huiracocha and Murillo.
The guy on the right has a charming set of tattoos:
A commenter there points out that retrofitting a car with a dashcam isn’t all that expensive.
Do Dash Cams Work in Older Vehicles?
In most cases, the answer is yes.Modern dash cameras are designed to work independently of the vehicle’s factory electronics. They require only a few basic things to function properly:
a 12-volt power source
windshield mounting space
cable routing through the interior
Because nearly all vehicles include these components, dash cameras are compatible with the majority of cars manufactured since the early 2000s.In fact, older vehicles sometimes make installation easier because their electrical systems are less complex than those found in newer vehicles.
You can get a decent dashcam for under two hundred dollars, apparently. And installing it typically costs another $100 to $250 (depending on the type; see this, for example). Whether you might want one depends on where you live and usually drive.
My son lives in LA and he has a dashcam. I thought it odd, but it really is prudent.
He lives in the Big City. Evil and criminals everywhere.
I live in a provincial backwater and I like it. Too many people make me nervous. Stress. Higher percentage of dopes and weirdos.
I _HIGHLY_ recommend that every driver have a dash cam. I have this one, and have not had a problem with it in the 1.5 years I’ve had it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098WVKF19
Instapundit recommends dash cams frequently.
Things to consider:
1. Front AND REAR cameras.
2. 4K camera for higher resolution.
I bought mine after the meteor strike near Chelyabinsk, Russia; so many Russians have dash cams for exactly the same as reason as you, to prove yourself innocent against an insurance fraud.
The only time I’ve ever NEEDED it was when a Mercedes ran the stop sign and pulled out in front of me, causing an accident. Her insurance company started to deny the claim, until I told them that I had a dashcam video PROVING that it was her fault.
Re: Chelyabinsk meteor / Dashcams
The Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013 was unusually well documented because dashcams were already extremely common in Russia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteor
–“DASH CAM FOOTAGE: Chelyabinsk Meteor, February 15th 2013
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhNL-YJFxOM
And why were there so many dashcams?
A lot of Russian drivers used them partly as protection against insurance fraud, staged accidents, corrupt traffic disputes, and hit-and-run claims. So when the meteor came in over the southern Urals, thousands of cameras were already pointed through windshields at the sky.
Win-win!
Do it for science!
All a person who drives without a dash cam needs to do is spend a bit of time watching either (or both) On Patrol Live or car crash vids on YT to realize how very prolific unlicensed, uninsured, criminal, dishonest, or reckless drivers are. Other than one’s own highly diligent driving practices, a dash cam may very well be the only thing between you and financial ruin.
They are a very inexpensive, always on witness to what really happened.
Put one in one of my cars a couple of years ago. Got one with a big screen that doubles as a backup camera. I think it was about $150. Takes constant video both front and back while driving, will sense if the car shakes while parked and will record 30 seconds of video and, as an added bonus, a couple of times I’ve visibly seen someone notice the camera and instantly change their mind about doing something “road ragey”.
If you’re a decent driver, get one (if you drive aggressively or suffer from road rage, don’t do it…you’ll just be telling on yourself). Not hard to install if you have some basic skills and not overly expensive any more.
One or two years seems like a very light sentence for this crime, even if they only had incontrovertible evidence for this one incident.
As one who doesn’t own a car but frequently rents, I’m wondering if it’s feasible to have a dashcam to put in when I rent.
“As one who doesn’t own a car but frequently rents, I’m wondering if it’s feasible to have a dashcam to put in when I rent.”
Yes, for the basic-ish ones. A suction cup on the windshield, plugs into the cigarette lighter, and you’re off. The one I have gets time and position from the GPS system.
Dash cams with front and rear cameras are a LITTLE more difficult, because you have to run a wire from the front camera around to the back window, which isn’t pretty. But it would WORK.
Thanks, Ken. (I hadn’t realized when I posted that I was on a 2-day-old thread.)