(work in progress)
About
Dash Cam Videos, short for Dashboard Camera Videos, are surveillance-style clips taken from the dashboard of a person’s car. Online, they’re usually uploaded to share footage of car accidents or arrests.
Origin
Dashboard cameras became common in police vehicles in 1990 after two officers from Houston, Texas bought a standard video camera with their own money in 1988. The camera was a way to provide more evidence in court to help prosecute drunk drivers, as their impaired driving and demeanor would be captured. Between November 1989 and April 1990, all 17 videotaped arrests lead to guilty pleas in Franklin County, New York.[1] As early as 2002[2], local news websites began hosting dashboard-filmed videos of accidents or car chases released from the police.
Spread
As dashboard mounted cameras became more affordable throughout the 2000s, these clips were no longer limited to police surveillance video. In June 2006, the YouTube channel t1sutton[6] launched, featuring solely dashboard cam and helmet cam videos made by its creator, Tony. As of December 2012, the channel hosts more than 200 of these videos. In 2007, The Break[3] began featuring these videos with the tag “dashcam.” The same year, LiveLeak[4] began featuring these videos as well, which range from highway accidents to gory accidental deaths. Viral Viral Videos[5] also maintains a “dash camera” tag to highlight videos that are gaining popularity on YouTube. As of December 2012, there are more than 92,000 results for “dash cam” on YouTube[7] and more than 500 dash cam videos have been submitted to Reddit.[8]
Notable Examples
In Russia
In January 2011, a LiveJournal community[11] dedicated to discussing dash cam accident videos was created, generating more 570,000 comments in just under two years.
In June 2012, Animal New York[9] investigated why these types of videos are incredibly popular in Russia. Since the country’s insurance rates are quite expensive, hit and runs are common in the country.[10] Additionally, people will lie in court to avoid fines, due to a need for drivers to keep these cameras to protect themselves.
Search Interest
External References
[1]The New York Times – Drunken Drivers Now Facing Themselves on Video Camera
[2]104.5 The Point – VIDEO: Police Dash Cam Footage Of A High Speed Chase In Eau Claire, WI
[3]The Break – Videos about “dashcam”
[4]LiveLeak – Search results for “dash cam”
[5]Viral Viral Videos – Posts tagged “dash camera”
[6]YouTube – t1sutton’s Channel | Dashcam & Helmetcam Videos
[7]YouTube – Search Results for “dash cam”
[8]Reddit – Search results for “dash cam”
[9]Animal – DASH-CAMS: RUSSIA’S LASTHOPEFORCIVILITYANDSURVIVAL ON THEROAD
[10]YouTube – Search results for “Авария скрылся” (accident, disappeared)