On-board video cameras or dashcams (caméras embarquées pour voitures) are increasingly popular. You see them a lot in England. YouTube is awash with lurid footage taken by them in Russia, a country where it’s probably wise to use them. They are not often seen in France, but this may change. After all, when did you last visit a car accessory shop that didn’t sell dashcams? To encourage this trend, Prevencia now offers a generous 10% discount on car insurance premiums where the car insured has a dashcam fitted, working and in use. To qualify for this discount, you must:
- prove that you have a dashcam installed by sending us a photo of the camera installed – one that also clearly shows the car’s number plate.
Once you have qualified for this discount, you should:
- keep the dashcam switched on and working for all your journeys, however short or long they may be, and at whatever time of day or year you may be driving;
- configure the dashcam to record the current date and time;
- ensure that the dashcam is angled properly so that it will be useful in providing good footage of when an accident occurs;
- be prepared to send us the dashcam’s memory card when you need to make a claim.
Which type of dashcam qualifies for this discount?
Dashcams come in various guises, from simple to sophisticated. At their simplest, they record the road ahead (and/or behind) continuously (often for a 30 minute ‘loop’) and they are motion-sensitive, automatically detecting something like fierce breaking or swerving. Activity like that ‘stamps’ the camera’s memory card with a marker to indicate an ‘event’ that shouldn’t subsequently be recorded over. If that corresponds with an actual accident, that portion of the recording can be used (by us or by an expert appointed by Generali) to apportion responsibility. The footage may also help you recall the details of the event so that you can more accurately complete your constat.
[Just note that using a dashcam will NOT replace the use of the Constat Amiable d’accident Automobile. Its footage may accompany your completed constat.]
Some dashcams record in-car sound, conversation included. Other versions are supplied with tablet or smartphone apps that enable you to view footage on a larger device and with greater clarity. Probably all dashcams are capable of stamping the time and date on the footage. For the moment, we are accepting all types of dashcams, whether front-facing, rear-facing or front-and-rear-facing ones as qualifying for this discount.
Why the generosity?
Although we like to think that all our clients drive carefully, we believe that it’s more likely that you will drive carefully if you have a dashcam installed. After all, any footage taken may help reveal your mistakes just as clearly as it will reveal the other driver’s mistakes. At Prevencia, we think that anything that encourages you to drive more safely is worth rewarding.
Links
- An interesting article (in French) about dashcams and their use on Le Figaro, where the National Road Safety Council is mentioned.
- A good article (in French) about dashcams in the Sud-Ouest.
- A buyer’s guide to dashcams available in the UK.
The information provided here is for general guidance. The exact details of your policy will define your legal and contractual obligations. What is written there will take precedence over what is written here.
Ces informations sont données à titre indicatif. Pour connaître précisément vos obligations légales ou contractuelles en relation avec votre contrat d’assurance, veuillez vous référer aux conditions générales et particulières de votre contrat.