Is it time to finally break down and buy a dashcam? In Manila, where traffic is always bad, road accidents are prevalent, and transport-related crimes are common, they’re proving to be an increasingly useful tool for proving it wasn’t you who was at fault in a road accident.
And sometimes, the benefits can be even bigger.
Take Friday night, when a camera installed in the dashboard of a UV express van caught three men stealing from passengers. In the video, they can be seen hailing and entering the van separately. The footage is so clear that all their faces were easily distinguishable.
Manila’s dashcam trend has been building over the past three years, and Top Gear Philippines writer Jason Tulio thinks social media has a lot to do with their surge in popularity.
“Due to the chaotic lawlessness that persists on our roads, dashcam footage can easily go viral on social media. It’s easy to get riled up over a counter-flowing jeepney, or an abusive motorist who thinks they own the streets,” he said. “Perhaps as a reaction to these incidents, motorists want to safeguard themselves against the abuses that happen all too often on public roads.
“One benefit of dashcams is that they can record events as they unfold. For example, in the event of an accident where the involved parties can’t come to terms over who’s at fault, the footage can provide an objective look at what really happened,” he said.
It works the same way when a driver accidentally hits a person crossing the street. Sometimes, drivers have to take the blame even though the person was jaywalking or came out of nowhere. The dashcam footage can help prove that the driver was not negligent.
For example, here’s a video showing a driver who could have hit a group of kids that ran across the street. (Don’t worry, no one actually gets hit.)
While some countries have questioned the legality of dashcams due to privacy and safety issues, the Philippine government is actually trying to make them a requirement for some vehicles.
Several bills requiring the use of dashcams in public utility vehicles are currently pending in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Those who authored the bills think this measure could help prevent accidents and decrease crimes.
Tulio agrees. “It’s a step in the right direction towards improving road safety, and I think it could easily be implemented in public transport and ride-sharing vehicles which are regulated by the government,” he said.
But while implementing this is possible for public vehicles, he thinks making it a requirement for private vehicles will prove to be more difficult.
“How would the law be enforced? Who will provide motorists with the units? How will regulators ensure that vital footage isn’t lost?”
Tulio also warned that dashcams should not be the be-all-end-all of road safety and that dashcam footage can be wrongly analyzed.
“This can lead to the all-too-familiar trial by public opinion that often takes place on social media. Not everyone who shares footage is an objective observer or takes time to investigate the facts, so the truth can sometimes get lost in all the hubbub,” he said.
For him, being a good driver is still the best weapon against Manila’s unpredictable roads. “Defensive driving, knowledge of the road rules, and common sense are just as potent as any gadget.”
Still, dashcams seem to bring more good than harm, which is probably why drivers continue to install them. Better be safe than sorry right?
And even if you don’t encounter any robbers or accidents, at least you can use it for road trip videos like this:
