February 9, 2021

Protect Your Young Driver With A Dash Cam

Getting behind the wheel is what a lot of young people look forward to. We’ve all been there - you know, anxiously counting down to your 16th birthday so you can finally take that test and get your driver’s license. Now that we are parents ourselves, are we still feeling that same excitement of sweet 16? We can’t wait for them to drive themselves to the mall or to practice. But who are we kidding, our kid and four wheels is exactly the reason why we’re up all night pacing the floors.

And just to be fair, kids, we know the newfound freedom is fantastic, but the first time out on the road on your own can be scary as well - you suddenly realize there’s no instructed there - do you know what to do if another motorist pins the blame on you?

While graduated licensing programs and driver’s ed help, it takes time to build up your confidence behind the wheel. Ultimately, no amount of practice or regulation can replace parental involvement.

You Need a Dash Cam

Even the most responsible teen driver will embark on a high-risk first year on the road. But we get that you can’t always be there to watch and advise, this is when the dash cam can help.

The dash cam, as the name implies, is a camera that is mounted on the car’s front windshield to capture events that are happening on the road ahead. But many people have the misconception that a dash cam is a spy cam - you’re spying on your kids - where they are going, how fast they’re driving, who else is in the car, etc. The truth is, unless you have a Cloud-ready dash cam and a wireless hotspot in the car and the dash cam is connected to the Cloud via the wireless hotspot, there really is no way for you to see everything’s that happening in real-time.

But what the dash cam offers is something equally valuable.

First Hand Accident Recap

Most drivers are likely to be involved in a car accident at least once in their lives. You can be the safest driver around, but that doesn't save you from the driver who decided to run a red light. In these situations, many new and young drivers lack the confidence to articulate clearly why the other driver is actually at fault, thus resulting in unfair outcomes. A reliable dash cam will provide real-time proof in the event of an accident. And even if the actual impact is not captured by the dash cam, it can show exactly where the vehicle was stopped and how fast it was travelling, etc. at the time of the impact. It's always better to have a dash cam and to stay on the safe side than to have no video evidence at all.

Video Playback As a Learning Tool

Just like how professional athletes use video as a part of their regular training regimen, new drivers need to embrace video playback as a valuable learning tool. Video enables drivers to see what they need to work on as well as get a better understanding of the potential hazards on the road that they might have missed or overlooked. You can go over footage together and use it as training videos and analyzing lessons to help pinpoint areas that need more practice. This helps young drivers becoming more prepared and more confident behind the wheels.

Being There Even When You Can't

Often, the mere presence of a dash cam is enough to have an effect on the behaviour of the young driver. When teens understand that all their actions and driving habits are being captured, they are much less likely to engage in dangerous driving habits, such as texting, drinking, speeding, etc.

How to Choose The Best Dash Cam For Your New Driver

Factors to keep in mind when choosing a dash cam for your new driver:

What angles would you like to capture? Front and rear? Front and Inside?
Do you need remote monitoring? Do you want to video playback on a mobile device (ie. smartphone or tablet) or do you prefer plugging the memory card into your computer for a bigger picture?
Do you need a tamper-proof case to keep the camera from being unplugged or turned off?

Plug-and-Play: Installing Your Dash Cam The Smarter, Easier Way

If the thought of cracking open the fuse box in your car and locating the best ACC and Constant fuses you can use for your dash cam, you’re not alone. The traditional fusebox hardwiring method can be daunting for many people who are new to cars/dash cams. But don’t let that turn you away from dash cams - there are other easier options, like the OBD-II Power Cable.

In other words, if you are looking for the simplest plug-and-play solution for your new driver, or even yourself, we strongly recommend the Thinkware FA200 Dual-Channel with the IROAD OBD-II Power Cable - just make sure you grab the correct version - for example, if you’re joining Will Ferrell and GM’s quest to out-EV Norway, you will be needing the IROAD OBD-II Power Cable for Electric Vehicles.

The New BlackboxMyCar New Driver Bundle

Starting at $249.99, get the Thinkware FA200 Dual-Channel dash cam with the IROAD OBD-II Power Cable and the Thinkware CPL Filter.

Thinkware FA200 2-CH Full HD Dash Cam

The FA200 records 140° distortion-free, wide view angle in Full HD 1080p at 30FPS with Wide Dynamic Range for correctly exposed, true-colour video. The rear view camera captures incidents from all angles in 135° distortion-free, wide viewing angle, 720P at 30 fps for all-around protection. Dual-channel to provide the best coverage of the road ahead and behind.

Thinkware CPL Filter

Lens flares, light reflections, and windshield glares can significantly impact the quality of your dash cam footage. Eliminate these issues caused from moments of extreme brightness by easily installing Thinkware’s Circular Polarizing (CPL) Filter. Simply use the guide points located on the CPL Filter to install this on any Thinkware dash cam for enhanced colour clarity, and improved light exposure.

IROAD OBD-II Power Cable

Once plugged in, the IROAD OBD cable provides power to the dash cam both when the vehicle is on and when the vehicle is off, thus enabling parking-mode recording. With advanced parking mode technology, your dash cam protects your car, recording videos when it detects movement or impact, even when you're not there. Buffered recording even includes the few seconds before and after the triggered event, so you get the complete picture. Time Lapse in Parking Mode records footage at 2FPS, enabling the dash cam to record longer periods of parking surveillance continuously without increasing power consumption.

Driving is more than a privilege

Driving is more than a privilege, it’s a life skill - protect your young driver and his vehicle so that they can become more confident drivers for life. It takes a village to build up a confident driver - let's make sure the dash cam is part of the village.