Dashcams 'exploding in popularity' amid road rage and fatalities

Roughly a third of people who plan to buy a vehicle within the next few years want a dashcam in their next car, according to a study by AutoPacific, an automotive marketing research and consulting firm.

"They're exploding in popularity," said Robby DeGraff, a product and consumer insights analyst at AutoPacific. A driver can spend "a couple hundred bucks and you do get this really reliable, accurate, extra safety blanket."

The firm's Future Demand Study, which polled more than 11,700 "vehicle intenders," or those who planned to buy a vehicle within three years, found that consumers express a strong desire for dashcams across all powertrains, vehicle segments, age groups and genders. The study did not distinguish between built-in dashcams and those available on the aftermarket.

For auto enthusiasts, dashcams may be used to capture cool off-roading or racing moments. But for many everyday drivers, perceived safety is the major force behind demand, said DeGraff.

Nearly 43,000 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2022, according to NHTSA, a small decrease from the previous year.

"The roads are scary," said DeGraff. "I think people are seeing now that a dashcam is a good investment."

Videos from the cameras have become a social media staple. Dashcam Lessons is a YouTube channel with upward of 700,000 subscribers and more than a thousand videos of crashes, road rage, bad drivers and more perils on the road and beyond. One popular video, "Best of Brake Check Gone Wrong (Insurance Scam) & Instant Karma 2019," has 31 million views.

AutoPacific said dashcams cost about $250 on average but can generate savings — and peace of mind — for drivers in the long run.

Insurers say they can be useful tools for drivers involved in crashes.

"The recorded footage can provide direct evidence to your car insurance company of what caused an accident instead of relying solely on eyewitnesses to determine how an accident occurred," Progressive Insurance says in its online marketing materials.

While insurers typically don't offer discounts for drivers using dashcams, providing evidence of fault in a crash through dashcams could help keep rates lower for those not responsible, the insurer said.
Law enforcement also is starting to make use of the videos.

Last year, police in Westport, Conn., used dashcam footage to track down a hit-and-run suspect. In the U.K., the number of reports filed in the National Dash Cam Safety Portal jumped 30 percent in 2023 from the previous year.

Dashcams can pose privacy and cybersecurity risks, especially as more of them use artificial intelligence, and not all models are created equal. But DeGraff said that companies, especially automakers, get driver consent, and cybersecurity concerns are not dampening demand.

Toyota offers an integrated dashcam on some models, as does BMW.

In 2022, 41 percent of new-vehicle intenders wanted dashcams, but DeGraff attributed the drop in the 2023 results to new features included in the study.

Other top picks included LED fog lights and a wireless charging pad for electronic devices.

"Even though we saw demand slightly dip from our 2022 study" dashcams are "still within the top 20" features that consumers want, DeGraff said. "I think that's definitely worth noting."