Dashcam booming in the Netherlands

Increase in sales of dashcams

The dashcam is also called a car camera or dashboard camera. They are extremely popular worldwide. The dashcam is also gaining ground in the Netherlands. René Boer of dashcam specialist Allcam can explain why: “More and more dashcam footage is appearing on the Internet showing remarkable situations. This adds to the popularity of dashcams. Word of mouth also helps. Every year we notice an increase in the sale of dashcams. This amounts to 20 to even 25 percent annually. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years.”

Curious events

Without the dashcam, curious events or, on the contrary, serious accidents in traffic would not have been captured on video. So filming with a dashcam is not only interesting for insurance issues, but can also provide fun or spectacular footage. Especially the latter category scores on YouTube. The platform is full of dashcam compilations.

Why are dash cams so popular?

The supply of dashcams has increased dramatically in recent years. That greater supply also depresses the price. Of course, there are major price differences in dashcams. You have them for a few tens of dollars, but you can also spend upwards of 600 euros. Some dashcam have better image quality than others. Basically, all dashcams work the same way. They record what happens along the way. The footage from a dashcam can be crucial in answering the guilt question or analyzing a particular dangerous traffic situation, but more and more often you see funny moments filmed with a dashcam.

This is how a dashcam works

A dashcam is often mounted on the windshield, usually just behind the interior mirror to give a nice perspective of the road. You power it via a long cable that plugs into the cigarette lighter or a USB port. When the dashcam receives power, it starts filming immediately. Images are stored on a micro SD card. The video footage is often captured in short clips of usually 3 or 5 minutes.

No worries about the memory card

You don’t have to worry about the card filling up because when the SD card is full, the oldest videos are automatically deleted to make room for new recordings. This way, the latest trips are always recorded. This principle is called Loop recording. A 256GB SD card is good for about 40 hours of 1080P (Full-HD) video. Some dashcams record from two sides, front and back. In this case, of course, the SD card is full sooner, as two videos are recorded each time.

G-sensor is a G-force metrer

You can also “protect” certain videos. This can be done manually at the touch of a button, but a dashcam often also features what is called a G-force meter, a G-sensor. This is a type of vibration sensor that can detect large shocks, such as in an accident. The G-sensor notices the accident and immediately secures the fragment in a separate folder.

History of the dashcam

To conclude this article on the dashcam, a brief history lesson. The dashcam was once created to gather evidence against corrupt government employees in Eastern European countries. This was necessary then, because without good evidence, you were soon at a disadvantage. By filming your own car ride, you always have truthful video footage. This can be useful if you are involved in an accident because it often shows exactly who acted wrong. As a result, you are in a stronger position when asked for evidence. Corruption is thus a thing of the past.