Have you a dash cam? They can save on insurance and help prevent crash for cash scams

Sales of dash-cams are booming as savvy drivers purchase buy them to get a cut in insurance and protect themselves against an increasing rate of “crash for cash” scams.

A growing number of insurance companies are cutting the cost by 10 per cent or more for those who have a camera techology in their cars as some have reported up to 50 per cent of their fraudulent claims are due to deliberate collisions.

Dash-cams can film either the road in front or both ahead and behind. They are wired into the car so they automatically turn on and start recording when the car is started.

The devices can be powered by a cable plugged into the cigarette lighter.

They have built-in memory and record on a continuous loop, so when the storage is full it will record over the oldest footage.

Recently, the number of dash cams sold at Argos have increased by 35 per cent month-on-month and models start from from €53.99.

David Ross, Director of Communications at the Chartered Insurance Institute said, “In the absence of independent witnesses establishing responsibility for a car accident, it can be a challenge for insurers.

“The use of dashcams provides useful evidence in apportioning blame and will generally avoid lengthy and protracted negotiations that can delay settlement of a claim - and in many cases add to the costs, both of which impact customers.

"For this reason insurers are increasingly encouraging drivers to fit dash-cams, with a number offering discounts to those customers that do so.”

Argos spokeswoman Hannah Coy said: “There has been a significant rise in sales of dash cams. Some insurance companies are offering a cut of 10 per cent or more in insurance to those who have a dash cam.

“The huge increase in the number of deliberate crashes has also led to people wanting to protect themselves against scams and to be able to prove their innocence.”