In-car cameras (aka dash cams) are small cameras mounted in the front or back of a vehicle in order to record high definition video and sometimes audio information. They can record day or night driving, and reasonably quality ones cost less than $100. If professionally installed, in-car cameras are powered from the car battery and able to record even with the car turned off. In addition, some units are equipped with special sensors that will activate the camera when a sudden movement is detected (either from a crash, or movement around the car), and can provide evidence in case of an accident or insurance dispute. These cameras contain storage units similar to professional digital cameras and range from hundreds of megabytes to dozens of gigabytes. Most models write to the memory card until the card is out of space, and will then automatically overwrite the files on the card (called loop recording). Some models also include GPS units that tie video recording with location information.
- Examples: Novatek, Mobius, Garmin
- Technologies: Video (and possibly audio) recording, GPS, accelerometer (used to detect sudden motion), digital memory cards
- More information: See http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/g9/5-dash-cams-tested/
