Dash Cameras are legal in the UK and their use has sky rocketed in recent years. They can offer an increased level of security, a quick-fire way to dismiss your liability in an accident and of course offer an endless stream of entertainment – we’ve all had the moments whilst driving we just wished we had recorded!
So, with all this footage stored on your phone or an SD card or maybe even on cloud storage. who actually owns it and what control do you have over it?
Just like with any recorded footage, the ownership of it is yours1 but that does not mean there aren’t repercussions involved if you misuse that footage. Should you be in an accident or get pulled over, police can request footage from your camera to be used as evidence and so tampering of any sort will be seen as an acceptance of guilt.
It is not only the police who may want your footage either, some insurers may request footage as part of a deal in lowering your insurance by having a Dash Camera, so do look out for this when choosing your provider.
In light of the way footage may be used or requested, uploading it on a public forum may give the host ownership of that footage and it can be called on if it is used maliciously such as to target someone. It is wise to know that some forums will require an increased level of anonymity too, so think carefully before uploading it online.
Over a quarter2 of drivers are suggested to have a dash camera installed, which rivals the number of CCTV cameras predicted to be used in the UK3. The amount of footage recorded is rising to higher levels every day and the interest in this footage is increasing too. It can cause more hassle and distress if you don’t have the correct camera and the last thing you want is your footage being dismissed due to its quality being insufficient.
Your footage may look good at a glance, but how is it in the dark or the rain? Can you read a number plate or easily save vital footage for use in an incident report or for your insurer?
It is little use having ownership of footage if your footage can’t live up to its purpose. At a price range that suits all, Road Angel has high quality, reliable Dash Cameras designed to be fit for purpose and user friendly with its mobile app.
1 Based on you storing footage on your own storage, please check with your storage provider if you are using a cloud-based system.
2 Based on full drivers licences as of March 2018 from the DVLA and survey results from Censuswide on behalf of Aviva in June 2018.
3 BSIA report for estimation of amount of CCTV cameras in the UK, 2013.
