Dashcams can reveal so much, but they rarely lure U.S. drivers
IMAGE: JOHN J. KIM, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, MCT
We use them to take millions of Instagram selfies every day. They've made it almost too easy to post unending streams of videos and images on YouTube and Twitter. But when it comes to documenting our car trips in the U.S., cameras mysteriously disappear from the digital scrapbooking landscape.
And on those rare occasions that we do catch video footage from the road, it's usually thanks to a piece of equipment most of us have never touched: a dashcam. The usually cheap, inconspicuous dashboard-mounted cameras, which automatically record video of the road in front of the driver, have often provided a vital piece of visual evidence in automobile accidents and controversial police stops when eyewitness testimony wasn't enough.
In an average month, 87% percent of Americans will either drive or ride in a car, truck or other type of private vehicle, according to a 2013 Arbitron study.
So why, as we happily snap photos of the most mundane aspects of our daily lives and now habitually whip out our smartphone cameras during any accident or police action, has the dashcam been largely ignored by drivers in the U.S.? The answers, both technological and cultural, are a bit surprising.
"Most 'consumer' technology today is sold as entertainment, and although the video from dashcams can be entertaining, a dash camera is primarily a tool and that is how it is viewed by drivers," says Bill Gremminger, the owner of DashCam USA, a site that sells dashcams and related accessories. Contrary to other consumer electronic devices, like the latest high-end headphones or smartphones, "There is not a lot of status in owning a dash camera," Gremminger says.
This underexposed part of our digital footprint in the U.S. was made even more apparent during two recent news events in Russia and Taiwan. In 2013, a meteor crashed into the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia and was recorded via dashcams by stunned drivers who quickly shared the videos, which went viral.
And earlier this month, the fatal crash of TransAsia Flight 235 was captured by several dashcams in Taiwan, one of which offered a terrifyingly close look at the commercial aircraft during its descent, which claimed 40 lives.
Although it's not difficult to find dashcam videos on YouTube recorded by American police officers, you'll rarely find U.S.-based dashcam video of a major accident or event recorded by a civilian-owned device.
"Dashcams are extremely popular in Russia, Asia and Europe, but here in the U.S., we are just starting to see these catching on," says Rhonda Marsh, of Giinii Tech, the manufacturer of Polaroid's new line of dashcams. "Polaroid views this as an untapped market here in the U.S."
But the question remains: Why "untapped"?
Personal Gadget or Law Enforcement Tool?
If you're living in the U.S., the first dashcam video you've seen was probably recorded from the dashboard of a police car. In recent years, U.S. television newscasts have relied heavily upon police dashcam footage, which often shows a suspect being arrested or fleeing the scene of a crime.
Further popularized by reality TV shows like America's Most Wanted and World's Wildest Police Videos, over the years, the dramatic, grainy footage has revealed a previously unseen view of what many police officers encounter on the road when dealing with suspects and criminals.
The cultural impact of those popular shows is hard to quantify, but in the wake of such programs dashcams have come to be seen by many in the U.S. as an official tool for security and law enforcement agents, as opposed to just another recreational gadget you can pop on your dashboard next to your GPS device.
However, contrary to any legal concerns on the part of consumers, there's really nothing stopping anyone from mounting a dashcam on their dashboard and hitting record.
There is no federal law regulating the use of dashcamsThere is no federal law regulating the use of dashcams," a spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says. "In April 2013, NHTSA issued voluntary distraction guidelines pertaining to electronic devices built into new vehicles. We are planning to issue 'Phase 2' distraction guidelines that will focus on the visual-manual interfaces of portable and aftermarket devices, potentially including dashcams."
And while there's no law against private citizens using dashcams, the story behind how they came to be so common within U.S. police departments offers some clue as to why some may be hesitant to embrace the easily accessible technology.
"Dashcam popularity arose from application in DUI/DWI settings," Timothy Kulp, a South Carolina-based attorney who specializes in DUI (Driving under the influence), DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and criminal defense cases says.
"I recall that when I was a prosecutor years ago, MADD [Mothers Against Drunk Driving] and other groups opposed implementation of dashcams. Their fear was that film might depict someone as sober who was charged with DUI. Opposition to dashcams waned when lawmakers realized that utilization of recorders was simply fair and produced more reliable evidence [than] the testimony of an officer defending his decision to arrest.
Dashcam "popularity spread from the DUI enforcement arena when DUI case video use revealed additional traffic stop circumstances. Actions of suspects, which legitimized use of force by police depicted on the screen, buttressed wider acceptance of the use of this technology."
During a random poll of a small number of drivers in New York City earlier this week, most we spoke to immediately referred to dashcams as police tools, with only a few expressing serious interest in buying one themselves.
Another wrinkle that could slow the adoption of dashcams are worries about the laws governing audio recordings in each state.
In 2010, motorcyclist Anthony Graber, riding with a GoPro camera attached to his helmet, was arrested after posting video of a roadside encounter with a Maryland police officer because the video included audio.
The laws governing audio recordings of a person without their permission vary from state to state, but in some jurisdictions, doing so means you could be charged with a felony. So, if your dashcam happens to have an audio function, the safest legal bet is to disable that function (video-only recordings in public places is legal on the national level).
Nevertheless, even though recording video of a public place is legal, numerous instances of police officers attempting to stop citizens from video recording police encounters could also be a contributing factor subtly swaying consumer perceptions related to the legality of dashcams.
A consideration that is appalling to me is police resistance to citizen filming of police uniformed activities in public placesA consideration that is appalling to me is police resistance to citizen filming of police uniformed activities in public places," Kulp says. "Many people have been arrested for this, had camera equipment or film destroyed where no law whatsoever prevents this citizen conduct."
Aside from the public perception of dashcams as a tool for law enforcement, the legal aspects of owning one also appear to have contributed to the device's image as a tool rather than as another recreational gadget.
"I think most U.S. drivers who are aware of dash cameras view them like an insurance policy," Gremminger says. "In my opinion most attorneys and prosecutors are probably not going to be interested in pursuing a lawsuit or legal case where video from a dashcam can be introduced as opposing evidence."
But will the potential legal advantages of using a dashcam eventually outweigh the device's law enforcement profile and stigma as a not-so-sexy addition to one's tech arsenal?
Polaroid, still in the throes of rebranding itself from analog photo pioneer into consumer electronics player, is banking on a shift in U.S. attitudes toward dashcams. The company revealed a new line of dashcams in January at CES.
IMAGE: POLAROID
"The insurance system in the U.S. has been really good at protecting people, whereas in Russia or Asia, they do not have that level of protection and need to document more," Marsh says, referencing the frequent use of dashcams in those regions. "As the capabilities of dashcams become more well known in the U.S., we will see more and more people adopting their use."
The iPhone of Dashcams
Perhaps the biggest factor contributing to the lack of consumer interest in dashcams in the U.S. is the fact there is no single dominant dashcam player in the American market. Although some experts have dashcam preferences based on ease of use, features and reliability, there is no leading "iPhone of dashcams" that consumers can easily look to as the high bar of quality for dashcams.
This is due in part to the fact that the vast majority of dashcams are manufactured by obscure, Asia-based companies with no significant brand presence in the U.S. Heard of Novatek (Taiwan), BlackVue (UK), Lukas (S0uth Korea) or Itronics (South Korea)? Unless you work in dashcam sales, or have been shopping for one recently, probably not. Such a diffuse market for the device, in a country where consumers often look to big brands first, has resulted in a lack of clarity when it comes to picking the best dashcam.
"Garmin is still at the early stage in this market," Garmin spokesperson Maddie Estrada says. "We definitely see potential for every car to have dashcam integration… In the U.S., the technology is just now getting to a usable format and to a price point that the general public would be comfortable with."
Garmin could be on the right track. Despite the relatively tepid interest in dashcams from U.S. electronics manufacturers to date, as U.S. cars become increasingly more tech-centric and connected to the rest of our devices, some believe we're just at the beginning of a shift in dashcam adoption.
"There are more non-commercial drivers purchasing dash cameras than there were a couple of years ago," Gremminger says. "Sales seem to keep trending toward a broader market. It started with truck drivers, but the products are definitely growing in popularity across all demographics. Women are especially interested in the added security of protecting more than just one's property but also one's person."
But with even the best-reviewed dashcams priced at just $60, and a smartphone-savvy public interested in documenting nearly everything with photos and videos, dashcams remain a niche product.
Ultimately, it may be left up to car manufacturers — ever focused on packing more tech-bang-for-your buck into the latest models — to begin adding dashcams as standard operating equipment. General Motors did just that last year when it introduced the 2015 Corvette Stingray, which comes with a built-in Performance Data Recorder (which includes a dashcam).
IMAGE: GENERAL MOTORS
"Are we looking at a day when auto manufacturers offer video capture packages as extra equipment?" Kulp says. "We shall see."
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