Uber Dash Cam

Uber Technologies or Uber, as we know it, offers ride sharing and food delivery. It has emerged as a convenient platform that has approximately 78 million monthly active users worldwide.

Separately, a dashcam is a device mounted on the dashboard of a car. it may also be placed on the front-screen or the rear windows of a car. It is a camera that continuously records all incidents happening on the road. These cameras not only serve a very important purpose by monitoring the parked car, but also help drivers improve their skills and provide evidence in case of accidents.

Uber Dash Cam Policy

In the Help section of the website, Uber mentions that drivers may “install and use video cameras to record riders for purposes and safety”.

The company also maintains decency in encouraging their drivers to follow regulations and local laws on usage of these dashcams. Different states have different rules relating to the dashcams. While a state like California requires drivers to seek the consent of the passengers before recording a private conversation, a state like New York demands that drivers must notify their passengers right at the onset of the journey that the vehicle uses a dashcam.

It is suggested that drivers go through the specific laws applicable in each state and obey them with total discipline.

The increase in ride-surveillance has been accompanied by a fair share of cons as well. The company has however been facing privacy pressures due to this policy. This move devised for safety concerns has been subjected to controversies with a lot of riders now questioning their privacy during their journey with Uber.

Why do Uber drivers need dash cams?

Dashcam footage has emerged as a reliable mechanism for drivers to guard against bad reviews or false accusations from passengers which could previously be costly for drivers.

Many a times, passengers have been a recipient of threatening and alarming behaviour from drivers. This has had fatal implications. On the contrary, there has also been a tendency to give more weightage to a passenger’s word than that of an drivers. As a result, many passengers have gotten away with ill-behaviour or unethical acts. In addition to this, Uber drivers have often been falsely framed in unnatural cases or accidents. This has made dashcams an absolutely essential accessory for Uber drivers.

For Uber drivers or any driver working for ride-sharing companies such as Lyft, having a dashcam is absolutely necessary.

Even the safest of Uber drivers are more prone to accidents due to the increased amount of time they spend on the roads. In case of an accident, it may be difficult to claim insurance with most persons having a tendency to shift the blame on the driver regardless of who is at fault. Dashcam footage makes is easy for ride-share drivers to document the entire journey and also provide that documentation as direct proof, instead of having to rely on witnesses.

However, in addition to accidents, there are many other incidents happening inside or outside the car that may not make the journey as smooth as expected. Dashcams help in providing an objective perspective in such cases.

Some drivers have had terrible encounters with passengers who have crossed the line onto verbal or even physical assault. Having a dashcam not only provides proof of the incident but also makes it likely that the passengers are conscious and on their best behaviour.

Many Uber drivers have reported cases where passengers have stolen from them. One of the latest cases was reported from Brooklyn where a passenger was caught stealing from a driver’s tip jar. Many drivers have also reported having their clothes, shoes and bags stolen. Dashcams help in capturing these passengers red-handed.

Dashcams also help passengers to prove their point to the company for taking legal action against misbehaving drivers. Additionally, dash cams can be good proof in case of any damage to the car caused by the rider. For example, if an inebriated passenger happens to vomit in the car, the dash cam can record this and no other proof is necessary.

In general. Installing a dashcam is always a safe option and important footage may get captured from time to time.

Important Features For Dashcams For Uber Drivers

Some of the most important aspects of a dash cam for uber drivers are:

• Have the dash cam as dual facing. This means that it records the road in case of any accident and also inside the car in case of any misbehaviour from the rider.
• The quality of footage inside the car needs to be at a high enough definition so that all instances can be accurately captured. A minimum of AHD is required.
• Lots of memory in the dash cam that way older footage can still be accessed.
• An easy way to lock files that you may be useful for the future. Any automatic locking of files in case of an accident is useful as well.
• Great Customer Support so that if anything is needed there is someone to help at all times.
• 4G LTE Dash Cam can make it so that a driver doesn’t need to continue to save locked files on a phone and can instead stream it to the cloud automatically so it can be accessed anywhere.

Best Dash Cam For Uber

There are a number of dashcams available for Uber drivers to choose from. This section will list out some of the best dashcams for ride-share companies to look into as of 2020.

ELD Mandate Smart Dash Cam

This dash cam has everything that a uber driver could be looking for. Priced at $19.99 per month, this dash cam has 64GB data, dual facing dash cam, and is a 4G LTE dash cam that can upload locked files automatically to the cloud. ELD Mandate is one of the highest rated technology providers in the logistics space with an overall rating of 5.0/5.0 on Trustpilot from 2.1K+ reviews. Additionally, their dash cam can be used as a full Android tablet which can be used for google maps.

Learn more about their dash cam by visiting their site here: www.eldmandate.biz/pricing

Garmin Dashcam Tandem

The price range starts from $299.99. This is an all-in-one dashcam. It offers 360-degree coverage along with HD resolution. This camera comes with combined rear and front cameras. It also uses built in GPS, Wi-Fi and auto-sync with other dashcams of the same company.

Vantrue N2 Pro Uber Dual Dash Cam

For those driving an Uber or ride-share vehicle and looking to capture high-quality footage on a daily basis, the Vantrue N2 Pro uber dual dash cam is one of the best choices in the market currently. This dashcam comes with a dual camera and a resolution as high as 2.5 k. The camera also uses a 170-degree wide lens. The dual camera allows the driver to capture the road ahead and the inside of the cab simultaneously. The dashcam has another great feature – infrared night vision that makes driving at night much safer. This advanced model also comes with an LED vision. Owing to its dual-camera feature, this model is however a little on the expensive side of dashcams.

VanTrue N4 Uber Dashcam

This is a 2-in-1 dashcam with a rear camera that is important for ride-share drivers. It costs approximately $249.99. All 3 cameras – front, rear and interior facing can record at the same time in HD quality. This camera is known for its clear night vision video. The audio recording feature can also be turned on and off at any time. This dashcam also has a parking mode. However, unlike other cameras of the same range, it does not have the Wi-Fi feature.

BlackVue DR590W-2CH-IR

These dashcams cost about $249.99. This dashcam has separate front and inside cameras that record videos in HD resolution. It comes with built-in Wi-Fi and an optional GPS antenna. This product also has a higher-end model with upgraded features, costing $509.

VIOFO A129 Duo IR

Costing $179.99, this dashcam has a 2” LCD screen. The dual cameras offer full HD resolution pictures and the product uses built-in direct Wi-Fi and GPS.

There are a host of other options in the market for the ride-share companies to choose from. In addition to dashcam models, drivers may also consider using an app that transforms their phone into a dashcam.

This app called Driver is a completely free app that transforms the phone into a low-light enhancing and motion stabilizing dashcams that drivers could look into. The videos are saved on cloud storage for easy access. It also has features like turn-by-turn navigation and alerts that help drivers to become aware of unnoticed objects or pedestrians on the road.

Dash cams have therefore emerged as an all-important accessory for most cars and especially for those used by ride-sharing facilities like Uber. They help in avoiding unnecessary trouble and serve as a precautionary measure. Most Uber vehicles are now accepting the need for this device and installing one in their cars.

It can be safely said that the road ahead for this partnership between uber drivers and their very reliable mate i.e., dashcams, looks very bright and steady.