For several years now, we’ve been offering discounts of up to 15 per cent for anyone who fits an approved dashcam to their car. And this story of a Flux customer who fitted a dashcam shows the huge potential benefits, even though his camera was not on the approved list.
One of the chief reasons we have been keen for motorists to fit dashcams has always been that evidence from the camera can be used to prove who is at fault in a claim, helping both innocent motorists and their insurers save money on loss of no claims bonus and claims payments respectively.
So when Kent motorist Linden Ellis was clipped by another motorist, who denied liability, he – and his insurers – were able to fall back on dashcam footage to prove he was not at fault.
And the £16 dashcam saved Mr Ellis up to £750 on his car insurance renewal premium after the claim was settled in his favour.
Sales of dashcams, small video cameras that record the road ahead, have grown by more than 900 per cent in the past year after insurance companies confirmed video evidence could be used to help settle claims.
And Mr Ellis, a security services manager from Chatham, has reaped significant benefits from fitting a camera to his Vauxhall Vectra earlier this year after watching a TV programme about the devices.
Mr Ellis was driving in Maidstone town centre when a van cut across him, clipping and damaging the front of his car.
“He said it was not his fault, and without the video evidence it was his word against mine so it would have been almost impossible to prove,” he said.
“The camera has been a godsend – it’s not a lot of money to spent so you can’t really go wrong.
“It’s saved me hundreds of pounds, so I wouldn’t be without it and think it makes sense for everyone to have one.”
Without the footage, Mr Ellis would have lost two years’ no claims bonus, potentially adding up to £750 to the cost of his renewal premium.
Adrian Flux Insurance Services, which handled the claim for Mr Ellis, was the first broker in the country to recognise the benefits of dashcams, providing discounts of up to 15 per cent on approved cameras back in 2012.
General manager Gerry Bucke said Mr Ellis’s case highlighted the value to motorists and insurers of the cameras, which are also playing a part in reducing fraudulent claims.
“This may have only been a fairly minor accident, but losing your no claims bonus unjustly can have a huge and unfair effect on premiums,” he added.
“We fully expect the growth in camera sales to continue with the exposure they receive on TV programmes like Car Crash Britain and as word of mouth spreads of the impact they can have on motorists’ premiums.”
Benefits of a dashcam
- can quickly establish who is at fault in an accident
- helps protect valuable no claims bonus
- protects the driver against potentially fraudulent claims, particularly costly personal injury claims, making the driver’s insurer less likely to have to pay out in such circumstances
- lessens the likelihood of claims being made by a third party for fictitious passengers
- can also help in road rage incidents
- encourages safer driving