Africa-Press – South-Africa. Recording your every move on South Africa’s roads using a dashboard camera is unlikely to save you much by way of insurance premiums.
Although most local insurance companies are open to video evidence accompanying claims, even those wanting to track your every move behind the wheel aren’t yet prepared to pay for these devices.
It’s also true that, in theory, insurance companies may use the footage to invalidate your claim if you’re in breach of the policy or rules of the road.
But if you’re confident of your innocence and driving ability, and spend a lot of time on the road, it can be a great advantage when proving your innocence in complex or large claims.
Pineapple, one of South Africa’s newer, tech-centric insurance companies, says they don’t currently offer specific premium discounts for dashcam usage in South Africa.
Co-founder Matthew Elan Smith told News24 that the company recognises the benefits of dashcam footage, “including a more seamless claims experience, faster claims processing, reduced disputes and enhanced accuracy in claims evaluation”.
Smith says encouraging policyholders to buy and install dashcams remains a challenge, but is something Pineapple is looking to drive further.
“The additional cost of dashcams is also a consideration for both insurers and customers as well as educating customers on the correct usage, maintenance and benefits of sharing the footage,” Smith says.
Ernst North, co-founder of Naked Insurance, had a similar response.
“Naked doesn’t offer lower premiums to customers who have a dash cam. If you have a dash cam installed, the footage can be helpful in determining who was at fault in an accident and may help us recover your excess quicker, if it is proven that the other driver was responsible.
North told News24:
North says that provided you weren’t breaking the terms and conditions of your policy or the laws of the road when you had an accident, Naked will “seek to resolve your claim as quickly as possible. As such, we see dash cams as nice-to-have rather than essential”.
Paying for a device that doesn’t guarantee a lower premium – or may actually incriminate you – may seem unnecessary.
But, as the price of dashcams comes down, features improve, and post-accident premiums only going up, they may be a good idea for responsible drivers who spend a lot of time on South Africa’s roads.
Picking a dashcam
Not all dashcams are equal – and the more you pay, the more features you’ll get.
Local options are available for as little as R250, which aren’t likely to get you very far.
Likewise, unless you want to capture viral dashcam footage, you probably don’t need a dual-camera device with WiFi, SIM cards, a high frame rate, and 4k image quality.
Somewhere between the two are devices that will record in low light, loop recordings once your memory card fills up, have a decent wide-angle lens, and may have other features, like crash detection and a decent display.
Equally critical is a discreet device that it’s intuitive enough to use regularly – so you don’t condemn it to a life in the glove box.
Garmin Dash Cam 67W
The Garmin Dash Cam 67W is a pricey piece of dashcam recording equipment, costing between R3 500 and R4 000 in South Africa. But, for this, you get one of the more accomplished models available in South Africa – and the backing of a reputable name in the automotive and gadget industry.
The 67W records up to 1440p and is good in lowlight conditions. You can also access the camera remotely via the Garmin app if it’s in range of your WiFi network – and, despite its high price point and decent feature set, it is still impressively discreet.
Lowest price at time of publication: R4 799 at Cape Union Mart
Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2
The Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 is one of the smallest and most discreet models on the market, perfect for South African conditions where thefts from motor vehicles and smash-and-grabs are common.
The small size means it only has a single camera and no screen (instead, you’ll need to use the Garmin app for that), and it has a single front-facing 1080p camera. Still, it’s cost-effective, reliable, and widely available in South Africa.
Lowest price at time of publication: R2 299 at Kloppers
Transcend DrivePro 250
The Transcend DrivePro 250 is a full HD front-facing dashcam with a maximum frame rate of 60 FPS. It has a small TFT display for setting it up, runs off a MicroSD card, and will recharge via your cigarette lighter.
It’s also relatively discreet and, although simple, it covers most mid-level dashcam bases for a reasonable price.
Lowest price at time of publication: R1 939 at QuickTech.co.za
Volkano Freeway Series
The Volkano Freeway Series is a commonly found dashcam in South Africa that’s positioned at the lower-mid range of options in terms of features and pricing.
You’ll probably pay around R1 100 for the Freeway Series; for that, you get a 1080p, 130-degree camera with a three-inch LCD. It has automatic collision recording and loop recording, but some reviewers point out that its build quality isn’t as high as others on the market.
Lowest price at time of publication: R1 058 at 4Home.co.za
Polaroid PD E73H
The Polaroid PD E73H is an entry-level dashcam that comes in at under R1 000 in South Africa. Although you shouldn’t expect too much at this price point, this device has received relatively positive online reviews.
The device has a two-inch TFT display and a 1080p wide-angle lens. More than that, Polaroid doesn’t say – but online reviews bemoan the dim display and praise the picture quality for the price and age of the device.
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