Nathan Ng calls it a “silent witness.” The Vancouver man is one of an increasing number of Metro Vancouver residents now using dashcam technology in their vehicles.
Ng’s device turns on every time he gets behind the wheel, recording every trip he makes, and often catches bad behaviour by other drivers.
Ng not only records videos, he also posts some of the worst driving he captures to his YouTube channel.
“I put them up there for educational purpose for people to see,“ Ng said. “For everyday drivers to see we have a growing problem. Drivers are becoming less aware and more reckless.”
Dashcam compilation videos taken in Metro Vancouver can rack up tens of thousands of views.
As well as showing up on YouTube, dashcam videos are increasingly being submitted as evidence in insurance claims with ICBC.
“It’s just one of many things we look at in assessing a claim,” said ICBC’s Joanna Linsangan.”Kind of like photographs, we're getting a lot more photos submitted and we take that into consideration as part of evidence and we put that into our assessment. If we do receive video we take that into consideration as well.”
For now, having a dashcam won’t mean a discount for ICBC customers, however.
“All insurance is based on risk,” said Linsangan. “So when we talk about car insurance we're talking about the risk of a driver getting into a crash. Having a dashcam in your vehicle won’t make you a safer driver or prevent you from getting into a crash,”
Increasingly dashcam videos are also being submitted to police.
Dashcam video of an August crash on the Pattullo Bridge that involved 30 vehicles is being examined by New Westminster Police Department investigators.
“It doesn’t come up frequently but we do see cases where someone’s dashcam video has helped us,” said Cpl. Brian Montague with the Vancouver Police Department. ”Whether in identifying someone or clarifying what happened.”
While the technology can help in investigations, it’s far from perfect.
“There are some limitations to dashcam video, It only shows one profile, what’s happening in a small range of space,” Montague added. “It’s a tool, it’s not a solution to how we investigate. It doesn’t give us all of the answers, but it provides us with some information we may not have had before.”
While the technology is growing in popularity in North America, the technology is more widely used in other countries, like Russia.
ICBC isn’t ruling out the possibility dashcams could one day become mandatory in B.C.
“Right now it’s not something we'll be considering,” said Linsangan.”But maybe something in the future.”
It’s something Nathan Ng would like to see.
“I feel like everyone on the road should have a dashcam,” he said. “I want to see one day everyone has a dashcam. If you have a dashcam and you know you're driving while recorded, there’s more of a chance you won’t do some of the things people do on the road.”
But for now, Ng said he’s content to have his own video evidence in case he’s ever involved in a crash.
“I have a silent witness right below my rearview mirror to say this is what’s happened,” said Ng. ”Anyone who says anything otherwise or lies about a crash would have to dispute video evidence”.
Ng believes even without incentives from ICBC more drivers will continue to turn to the technology, as Metro Vancouver drivers look for new ways to protect themselves on our roads.
