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ChiefG · 11-30-2013, 11:39 AM

I'm getting one.

Earlier this year I was victim of a road-rager. I was in the hammer lane, at night (before I had the FRS), doing 5 over, with a left-exit coming up. Asshat passes me IN MY LANE and nearly sideswipes me, then cuts me off and starts to take off. So I flash the high beams and the fucktard slows down, so I hit the high beams and shithead stands on the brakes - in the hammer lane of a busy highway. I can't get around because of traffic, and we're petrified that we're going to get ass-ended big time. THEN this fuckhead backs up to within inches of my front bumper so I cannot pull around him, pulls forward and repeats this insanity two more times! Then he took off like a scalded cat.

I got his tag # and reported him to the local PD the next day. There's a big anti-aggressive driver campaign in MD, and the locals said that he would get a letter. I also got his information a few days later through a confidential source, so I know who he is, what he drives of course, and where he lives. I also checked online to see what he's been in court for (you can do that in MD) and to my surprise found only one traffic charge and conviction. It's taken great restraint to not follow-up, if you know what I mean. When somebody tries to kill me on the highway, I kind of take that personally.

If I had a car cam that night, the asshole could have been prosecuted - and I would have followed through on that. That's one video that would have been a hit on YouTube.

So I've been wanting a car cam ever since then and have been researching them thoroughly. The thing that bugs me is that none of the big manufacturers are in the game, there aren't any US companies making them, and there really aren't many retail or online outlets. There has got to be a market for these. Without a reputable, known manufacturer in the game, we're all in the dark about who makes a good cam. We don't know these overseas companies.

Here are some good resources. This is a link to Techmoan's YouTube page. He's a Brit who does some outstanding video reviews of various car cams. http://www.youtube.com/user/Techmoan?feature=watch At last count he has about 25 excellent reviews posted, and they are real, in-depth reviews showing actual footage, and all the cam controls, options and software. This guy is doing everyone a huge service and he's obviously put in a lot of time and passion on his reviews.

Here's a good review site: http://dashboardcamerareviews.com
and another good site with a forum: http://carcamcentral.com

The ideal car cam has not yet been made. There are a few that are close though. I'm looking seriously at the Mini DVR 801, The BlackVue DR500GW-HD with the Power-Magic car controller, the ITB100HD, and FineVu CR 500 HD. The good ones are too big and obvious. Somebody needs to make one that separates the camera from the electronics, putting only a tiny cam on the back of the rearview mirror, and hiding the electronics elsewhere. With a video feed that can be ported to the car's touch screen, like a back-up cam. There are a few touch-screen units out there that can handle two video feeds.

Car manufacturers should do a factory-installed car cam option that integrates it with the GPS-sound system-touch screen. They could integrate a small camera in the rearview mirror mount, and all the electronics could reside elsewhere in the dash. It would be stealthy and not subject to theft.

I can't wait to start posting video of some of the shit I see on the highway. BTW, I used to drive emergency vehicles, and I have some stories that you would not believe.

11-30-2013, 11:39 AM	#269
ChiefG Skeptic Join Date: Oct 2013 Drives: 2013 FR-S Ultramarine 6A Location: Mount Airy, MD Posts: 99 Thanks: 70 Thanked 59 Times in 38 Posts Mentioned: 8 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I'm getting one. Earlier this year I was victim of a road-rager. I was in the hammer lane, at night (before I had the FRS), doing 5 over, with a left-exit coming up. Asshat passes me IN MY LANE and nearly sideswipes me, then cuts me off and starts to take off. So I flash the high beams and the fucktard slows down, so I hit the high beams and shithead stands on the brakes - in the hammer lane of a busy highway. I can't get around because of traffic, and we're petrified that we're going to get ass-ended big time. THEN this fuckhead backs up to within inches of my front bumper so I cannot pull around him, pulls forward and repeats this insanity two more times! Then he took off like a scalded cat. I got his tag # and reported him to the local PD the next day. There's a big anti-aggressive driver campaign in MD, and the locals said that he would get a letter. I also got his information a few days later through a confidential source, so I know who he is, what he drives of course, and where he lives. I also checked online to see what he's been in court for (you can do that in MD) and to my surprise found only one traffic charge and conviction. It's taken great restraint to not follow-up, if you know what I mean. When somebody tries to kill me on the highway, I kind of take that personally. If I had a car cam that night, the asshole could have been prosecuted - and I would have followed through on that. That's one video that would have been a hit on YouTube. So I've been wanting a car cam ever since then and have been researching them thoroughly. The thing that bugs me is that none of the big manufacturers are in the game, there aren't any US companies making them, and there really aren't many retail or online outlets. There has got to be a market for these. Without a reputable, known manufacturer in the game, we're all in the dark about who makes a good cam. We don't know these overseas companies. Here are some good resources. This is a link to Techmoan's YouTube page. He's a Brit who does some outstanding video reviews of various car cams. http://www.youtube.com/user/Techmoan?feature=watch At last count he has about 25 excellent reviews posted, and they are real, in-depth reviews showing actual footage, and all the cam controls, options and software. This guy is doing everyone a huge service and he's obviously put in a lot of time and passion on his reviews. Here's a good review site: http://dashboardcamerareviews.com and another good site with a forum: http://carcamcentral.com The ideal car cam has not yet been made. There are a few that are close though. I'm looking seriously at the Mini DVR 801, The BlackVue DR500GW-HD with the Power-Magic car controller, the ITB100HD, and FineVu CR 500 HD. The good ones are too big and obvious. Somebody needs to make one that separates the camera from the electronics, putting only a tiny cam on the back of the rearview mirror, and hiding the electronics elsewhere. With a video feed that can be ported to the car's touch screen, like a back-up cam. There are a few touch-screen units out there that can handle two video feeds. Car manufacturers should do a factory-installed car cam option that integrates it with the GPS-sound system-touch screen. They could integrate a small camera in the rearview mirror mount, and all the electronics could reside elsewhere in the dash. It would be stealthy and not subject to theft. I can't wait to start posting video of some of the shit I see on the highway. BTW, I used to drive emergency vehicles, and I have some stories that you would not believe. __________________ "All it takes is a little imagination, some mechanical ability, and neighbors who mind their own business. " - Red Green Last edited by ChiefG; 11-30-2013 at 04:53 PM.