Why don't todays cars have dash cams facilities by Default or Option?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Why don't todays cars have dash cams facilities by Default or Option?

FineWine

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#264327 16-Jan-2020 14:16

My 2019 Kia Sportage EL has inbuilt front and back cameras as standard. The front camera is part of; 'Lane Assist', 'Automatic Emergency Braking', 'Park Assist' and 'Collision Avoidance' systems. The back camera is part of the; 'Reversing', 'Park Assist' and 'Collision Avoidance' systems. The front camera is in front of the rear view mirror and the back camera is above the number plate but below hatch latch. Neither of these cameras are even close to being unsightly at all. In other words no tangling cords or even visible technology at all etc.

Why then don’t car manufacturers use these already inbuilt cameras as a 'Dash Cam' facilitated feature? Bad driving, of all degree's, and road accidents has become a very common occurrence, especially bad driving as demonstrated here in geekzones own topic - Muppets on the Road.

Yes they may have to marginally upgrade the lens technology, install hardware and software enabled WiFi IP or BlueTooth or both to enable communication to your phone or home network. They could inbuild a 500Gb or 1Tb SSD. Lets say all up extra cost could be $1000. I mean even the excellent Backvue dash cam range are only between $300 to $800.

Police and insurance are all, slowly, coming on board to varying degrees with this technology so why not just make it all apart of a vehicles 'Black Box" technology. Now I can hear the 'privacy' advocates screaming already, but certainly in my time of 65 years people have become less and less and less responsible for their own actions. So, if you are in an accident or get caught driving badly or dangerously then the evidence is there in your own vehicle plus other vehicles.

1984 George Orwell anyone !

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#2399092 16-Jan-2020 15:31

I would love to have a dashcam but don't want power cables dangling through the cabin. If the manufacturers were to offer it built in then it would be a significant factor in my next car purchasing decision.

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Oblivian

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#2399101 16-Jan-2020 15:51

alasta:

I would love to have a dashcam but don't want power cables dangling through the cabin. If the manufacturers were to offer it built in then it would be a significant factor in my next car purchasing decision.

They come with long cables to help with proper installs if you take the time to utilise rubber surrounds etc. https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=162&topicid=263313&page_no=1#2398750

Similarly you can't see mine hidden behind rear vision following a similar path other than the ciggy adaptor where you tend to have USB charge ports etc anyway.

jarledb

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#2399103 16-Jan-2020 15:54

FineWine:

My 2019 Kia Sportage EL has inbuilt front and back cameras as standard. The front camera is part of; 'Lane Assist', 'Automatic Emergency Braking', 'Park Assist' and 'Collision Avoidance' systems. The back camera is part of the; 'Reversing', 'Park Assist' and 'Collision Avoidance' systems. The front camera is in front of the rear view mirror and the back camera is above the number plate but below hatch latch. Neither of these cameras are even close to being unsightly at all. In other words no tangling cords or even visible technology at all etc.

Tesla has understood it and you can connect a memory stick or SSD to your cars USB and get the video from the cameras recorded, and its integrated with a system that works as an alarm system for the car, picking up movements and setting off alarms if something happens to a parked car.

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kiwifidget

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#2399112 16-Jan-2020 15:56

... for the same reason that although modern cars have built-in satnav and bluetooth and can sync to any smartphone, you still have to manually change the clock every time daylight saving comes and goes.

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Oblivian

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#2399118 16-Jan-2020 16:05

The crux is I imagine, liability avoidance.

If you provide a feature, you're generally expected to support and back it up. (ANCAP approval for safety devices and so on). No doubt the blame game would come to fruition if they included it and it failed to work during an accident while trying to counter-sue another party (as aussies and US people do) with evidence

sbiddle

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#2399122 16-Jan-2020 16:12

There are so many things that should be on cars as standard that aren't.

I could never survive having another car that didn't have automatic lights and wipers. Auto lighting is probably a 20c light sensor, would do wonders for road safety if more vehicles had lights that were on during low light or poor weather and and yet it only appears on high end vehicles.

BlinkyBill

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#2399140 16-Jan-2020 16:34

kiwifidget:

... for the same reason that although modern cars have built-in satnav and bluetooth and can sync to any smartphone, you still have to manually change the clock every time daylight saving comes and goes.

All of my cars update automatically at DST time.

old3eyes

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#2399143 16-Jan-2020 16:41

kiwifidget:

... for the same reason that although modern cars have built-in satnav and bluetooth and can sync to any smartphone, you still have to manually change the clock every time daylight saving comes and goes.

Not on our two Mazdas . The time updates as soon as the satnav starts up.

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Old3eyes

FineWine

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#2399144 16-Jan-2020 16:42

Oblivian:

The crux is I imagine, liability avoidance.

If you provide a feature, you're generally expected to support and back it up. (ANCAP approval for safety devices and so on). No doubt the blame game would come to fruition if they included it and it failed to work during an accident while trying to counter-sue another party (as aussies and US people do) with evidence

So if these fail: ❓

I would be more worried if the provided brake system failed as opposed to the 'automatic visual collision recording system'. I mean there are now 'full vehicle telemetry recording systems' available and I reckon soon, very soon, insurance companies will insist on these as standard installation or you will have cheaper insurance if you have one as well as a type of LoJack system. The computer systems are virtually there anyway.

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afe66

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#2399147 16-Jan-2020 16:44

Seeing how often people plug devices into their car cigarette lighter for usb charging , why dont the was designers incorporate a usb power socket into the cabin light or near the rear view mirror???

The we could plug in car cams with a very short cable and a socket on top of the instrument cluster or similar to plug in radar detectors or charge phones. ??

Get rid of the birds nest of cables running down from of radio and controllers to the cig lighter in front of the hear stick.

Cant be too expensive considering the costs of those of those USB transformers who buy I'm shops. Just make them 5V 2.4A...

Oblivian

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#2399149 16-Jan-2020 16:54

My cars not cool enough for auto braking, i didnt realise it was a thing. But surely that's multi faceted source and has an out clause that is only as strong as the self check its functional

But i did say imagine. Not it's a hard fact. Room for errors, being corrected and omission :)

tardtasticx

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#2400235 16-Jan-2020 20:05

I wish more cars would have that built in dash cam option, not great having a dashcam hanging from the windshield uglying up a new car!

I've added one to my car, but just got clever with hiding the cable.
You can tuck it behind the plastic moulding and run it behind the console if you don't mind prying it up to do so.
I wouldn't do it twice though, if I sell the car that dashcam will be going with it, or I'll be cutting the cable on one end and pulling it out.

SCUBADOO

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#2400242 16-Jan-2020 20:17

sbiddle:

I could never survive having another car that didn't have automatic lights and wipers.

It has certainly taken a while.

I added those luxury features to my Hillman Imp way back in 1967.

andrewNZ

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#2400244 16-Jan-2020 20:26

I think built in dashcams are only an OK idea, certainly not great.

The problem as I see it is similar to the problem with smart TV's. The tech is getting better every year, and in a few years, your current "good" dash cam will be a pile of crap. If it's built in you will have a few options:
1) Deal with it.
2) Pay extortionate rates to "upgrade" it.
3) Fit an aftermarket dashcam and be in exactly the same boat.

I fitted a dashcam to one of my vehicles recently, it's practically invisible (you can see it if you look for it) and if it craps out or I want to upgrade, I can tear it out and fit a new one.

michaelmurfy

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#2400248 16-Jan-2020 20:41

Here is a better shot of my install:

Cables are all hidden behind the trim. You actually don't see any throughout the car. The Power Magic Pro (for the dashcams parking mode) is something I could have done a little better on but I think this is tidy and still accessible in the fuse box:

I opted for fuse taps to make it easy to transfer the dashcam to another car down the line, or for when I sell this car.

My argument is that image technologies are always getting better - the front camera on my Seltos is only a basic image sensor with a very specific purpose. I believe the camera is a full-on module with an integrated computer etc and only sends basic messages back to the car. This means the camera itself is the only thing that needs to be replaced if a fault occurs with the whole system. I'd rather a proper dashcam since you're able to upgrade it yourself down the line.

Dashcams don't have to be ugly. With the right kit and a little bit of time (or a professional install) you can make it almost look like a stock feature of the car.

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