The Mandatory Dash Cam Is Coming

Dash cams that continually record your driving will eventually be a required feature on everyone's car, old or new. Get ready for it.

These cameras are mainstays in many locales, especially Russia, where they serve as evidence in police corruption cases and insurance fraud, among other things. Russia has an entire dash-cam culture where all sorts of wrecks and mishaps are shared on social media. Look up "Russian dash cam videos" for some hilarity. Yet, such cameras are forbidden in Austria, and discouraged in Switzerland, where they come in conflict with privacy laws.

This is not a problem in the U.S., where nobody, except a few, cares about privacy.

Besides, most new cars have "black boxes" that are already tracking your every move. You may as well be visually recording your travels, too. They are the perfect way to document that you did not run a red light, or did come to a full stop, or any number of other transgressions that can be trumped up. It is also great evidence if you are in a multi-car pile-up.

I am not a big fan of all this tracking. I'm convinced that the black boxes will track instances of speeding so you can get a nice fat fine every year (probably at the same time your car has a smog check).

But my driving experiences in California tells me we need dash cams.

There has been a recent boom in bicycle lanes and the societal encouragement for biking everywhere has reached high gear. Bicyclists are maniacs.

I have no problem with bicycles, but they are supposed to follow the same rules as cars. This never happens. They run lights, go down the wrong side of the road, and cut in and out of traffic.

There have been a number of near-miss incidents where someone on a bicycle is flying across the road illegally. I'm completely freaked out by the parents who attach child carriers red flag on top to their bikes and drive around like fools.

As someone who values privacy as much as the next Libertarian, I think these cameras are needed as much in the U.S. as they are in Russia. They shouldn't be used to determine that you did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign. They should be used to prove you did indeed come to a complete stop. The cam should be owned by you as the eyewitness to show you did nothing wrong. Let someone else prove you guilty.

The government is curiously mandating that all new cars be equipped with rear cameras so people can back up safely. This will lead to requiring dash cams, too. Hopefully, the dash cam will not become property of the government and used to convict you (as opposed to being your personal eyewitness).

If you want to get ahead of the game, you can get some nice dash cams at Amazon and elsewhere. At the very least, you should be able to get a couple YouTube videos out of your cam if you drive around a lot.

Having one might just get you out of a jam someday.