Most Important Features for Driver Safety & Security that Dash Cams Provide

Investing in a smart dash cam provides a range of benefits to drivers and others. Designed to provide protection from road hazards and improve driver safety, a dash cam that alerts your phone is critical for the protection of drivers and passengers and should be a feature you look for when choosing the best dash cam for car security.  Here are some of the safety and security features to look for to improve your driving experience or give you peace of mind when your vehicle is parked.

• Accident Alert System with Mayday Alerts
• G-Sensors & Parking Mode
• Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)
• Incident Reports

Dash Cam Accident Alert System

A dash cam with the capability to send an automatic collision notification or Mayday Alert to a designated contact in the event of a severe impact can provide reassurance to drivers and message recipients. Nationwide, 43% of first-year drivers and 37% of second-year drivers are involved in car crashes, according to Safetyinsurance.com. With statistics this high, it’s no wonder parents are worried about new drivers. By setting up your child’s vehicle with a dash cam that alerts you or your phone in the event of a serious incident, you'll get the peace of mind of knowing that you'll be notified quickly.

On Cobra smart dash cams with this feature, the accident alert system is triggered when the G-sensor senses a Level 3 (severe) impact. It displays an alert on the user’s phone via the Drive Smarter app. If the driver or user does not respond to the alert within the allotted time frame, it sends a text message or email to the designated contact. Setting up the dash cam and Drive Smarter app is important to making sure the automatic collision notification is sent to the appropriate emergency contact in the unfortunate event of a significant accident.

Dash Cam with Parking Mode

With parking mode, if your dash cam is hardwired to have a constant source of power in your vehicle, it can record while you’re parked and the engine is off. Hardwiring utilizes a small amount of your vehicle’s battery to power the dash cam, but not enough to drain your battery. With parking mode activated, if the dash cam G-sensor is triggered, it can automatically start recording and with certain dash cams, notify the registered user of the dash cam that an impact has been recognized. Similarly, dash cam motion detection for parked vehicles can detect changes in light and provide the same security feature to drivers whether they’ve parked in a crowded lot and want to be able to catch incidents on camera, or they’re concerned about nightly parking on the street.

Between Mayday Alerts and G-sensor triggers that automatically send notifications, having the capability to connect your dash cam to your phone seems like a no-brainer. Although less expensive dash cams may save you money, having the added security can provide peace of mind and safety whether you’re driving your vehicle or have it parked in a lot or the driveway. With automatic collision notification features, as soon as an incident occurs and the dash cam alerts your phone, you’ll be able to make prompt decisions. Whether you receive a Mayday alert that someone had an accident or you get a notification of G-sensor activation during parking mode, you’ll be able to check in straight away.

ADAS Dash Cam Features

ADAS, also known as Advanced Driver Assistance System, are safety features that can prevent a simple mistake from causing an accident. Lane departure is a feature of ADAS in dash cams that notifies drivers when they’re drifting out of their lane with visual or vocal cues. Whether you’re tired on a long-distance drive or become distracted during rush hour, having a dash cam with a lane departure warning system is a worthy safety feature that can help avoid collisions.

Forward collision warnings are another ADAS dash cam feature that can help drivers recognize when they’re accelerating towards or following a vehicle too closely. Although many new vehicles have this feature built-in, those with older models can drive smarter with a dash cam that provides a voice warning alert when a driver is quickly approaching an object. This feature is particularly useful to notify drivers of vehicles suddenly braking in front of them, or to simply to let them know they are following a car too closely. Staying vigilant and attentive while driving is the best way to prevent accidents, but with additional safety features, the road can become even less dangerous.

Dash Cam With Cloud Storage & Incident Reports

Another important security feature to consider is a dash cam with cloud storage and built-in Wi-Fi that can make streamlining incident reports even easier. When your dash cam is automatically connected to the cloud through Wi-Fi, you’ll be able to instantly store, edit, and share footage from anywhere. You won’t have to worry that you’ve lost the footage from an accident that proves you aren’t at fault, or that catches someone trying to get away during a hit-and-run. If your videos are automatically stored, you’ll always have the access you need to them, even if you need to submit an insurance claim or want to use your footage in court later down the line. Some Cobra dash cams create automatic incident reports by formatting all claim information and video incident summaries, meaning the footage will be readily accepted by most major insurance providers.

When choosing the best dash cam for car security or driver safety, keep in mind that you’ll need to consider that certain features are more of a necessity than others. Understanding the security dash cams can provide can help you match your goals of a smarter and safer driving experience. Browse through some of the newest dash cams and their features for more ways to keep you and your loved ones safe on the road.