Motor insurer Axa Ireland is offering motorists a 10 per cent discount if they fit dash cams to their cars. The company has teamed up with camera companies in an effort to help motorists establish liability in the event of a crash.

The cameras, often mounted on the centre mirror, uses a forward-looking fish-eye lens to capture an ultra-wide view of the road ahead and to the side. It records in loops of one-hour slots. By breaking the recording into small file sizes and loop recording a dash cam can continuously film, only locking down a file when the motion sensor is triggered or done manually by the driver.

Footage can be reviewed on a mobile device or PC. Once installed the dash cam requires no driver interaction unless the driver decides to manually capture footage, which can be shared should it be required or to help bear witness to an incident. Dash cams can provide valuable evidence of what happened in an accident, helping to settle claims accurately, quicker and help reduce fraud.

As the footage stays on the camera it remains the property of the motorist and it is their decision to pass it on to third parties, such as insurance companies. It doesn’t record footage inside the vehicle unless another feature is added to the camera.

Liability dispute

According to the company: “From a motorist’s point of view the footage can be invaluable in preventing lengthy liability disputes. A motorist who experiences an accident can find it traumatic, especially if there are no independent witnesses. Evidence from a Dash cam can assist in making this process more straightforward.”

There are also claims it improves motorists’ driving habits. A study by the RAC in the UK found that 25 per cent of drivers believe that fitting a dashcam will improve their driving, while 69 per cent of those who have had an accident have said that a dash cam would have been useful in settling the liability claim.

“Unfortunately, motor collisions are a regular occurrence on Irish roads and it is often the case when settling these claims that witness accounts may not exist or may vary or it can take time to obtain Garda evidence,” said Antoinette McDonald, customer experience director at AXA. “Dash cams offer a great way for drivers to get extra peace of mind when they are on the road and can be helpful resolve issues when liability is disputed.” In the UK dash cam sales have increased 671 per cent since 2015, according to market research company.