Car campaigners are calling for dash cams to be made compulsory, as statistics in Australia show an average of 21 people are killed in road accidents every week.
Car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have launched a campaign for the Government to ensure all motorists have a dash cam in place in their vehicles to record incidents while they are driving.
It comes as Australian government figures from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications showed there were 1,106 people killed in road traffic accidents in Australia for the year 2020, which equates to three deaths every day taking the statistic as an average throughout the year.
In geographical terms, 296 of those deaths were in New South Wales, with 278 in Queensland, 211 in Victoria, 154 in Western Australia, 93 in South Australia, 36 in Tasmania, 31 in Northern Territory and seven in the Australian Capital Territory, a press release said.
Distractions and negligence of traffic rules are among the most common reasons for road accidents in the country. Of the 1,106 deaths, 543 were drivers, 138 were pedestrians and 42 were cyclists among the casualties.
A spokesman for StressFreeCarRental.com said: “Up and down the country every day, there are hundreds of incidents taking place on our roads which result in minor or major injuries, or even death.
“We would like to see the Government make it mandatory for every motorist to have a dash cam fitted in their vehicle as an extra layer of protection for drivers, their passengers and all road users.
“There are on average 21 people killed on roads in Australia every week—that is 21 lives devastated along with the lives of their loved ones.
“We feel the time for action is now.”
Dash cams are currently legal on Australian roads and you don’t need any special permission to use them.
In many countries, if you install your dash cam incorrectly and it obstructs your field of vision while driving you could be breaking the law. You could face a fine and the footage recorded on it could be rendered inadmissible in court.
Police are increasingly asking for dash cam footage for incidents that happen on roads in many countries.
There are examples in the media of dash cam footage being used in cases to tackle carjacking, road rage, road side road scams and motorists jumping red lights at traffic lights or contravening other road signs.
In some countries, motorists who car share within their company for example, must inform everyone they share it with if a dash cam has been installed, as it can often record sound and video record inside the vehicle itself.
It is a breach of privacy if someone in your vehicle is unaware they are being recorded in some countries.
Motorists must also be aware that their own dash cam footage could be used against them if they contravene road rules.
But with the StressFreeCarRental.com campaign ultimately calling for mandatory dash cams to improve road safety for everyone, encouraging safer driving across the board should help achieve this goal and drive down road incidents.
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Car campaigners are calling for dash cams to be made compulsory, as statistics in Australia show an average of 21 people are killed in road accidents every week. #TheIndianSunhttps://t.co/NvNeEoH3tv
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