Anyone get a ticket for "obsruction of view" with windshield mounted dashcam?

Hypochondriac

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I'm in NY and legally anything that obstruct the view is suppossed to be illegal. I wanted to mount a camera on the windshield where the blue sun tint it. Would a position that high be considered obstruction of view? It will be above the rear view mirror, but it's so high up it shouldn't be obstructing your view.

To be safe should I just mount it where it will be blocked by the rear view camera? That way there's no chance of obstructing my view?
 
I think you just answered your own question
I'm in NY and legally anything that obstruct the view is suppossed to be illegal. I wanted to mount a camera on the windshield where the blue sun tint it. Would a position that high be considered obstruction of view? It will be above the rear view mirror, but it's so high up it shouldn't be obstructing your view.

To be safe should I just mount it where it will be blocked by the rear view camera? That way there's no chance of obstructing my view?

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I think you just answered your own question

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I kind of did, but it very viable from outside below the tint line, and kind of worried some junkie will bust a window to steal it. I was just wondering if this law is actually enforced, or is it more like j-walking, where cops don't care
 
we have similar laws in cali. if it's anything like around here with all the uber / lyft drivers...you can have it directly in front of the driver with the screen on full blast at night and the police still won't stop you.

but it's best to try to keep it discreet. if just for the sake of aesthetics. :p
 
Honestly, you'd be better off asking a local NYPD officer where the best place to put it is.
Just to see what they say and go off of that.
(Bonus points for recording them tell you that so when you have a ticket come up, they can laugh and ignore your footage of the previous officer telling you)

Laws differ from State to State & according to the following article, California is under a different set of rules than NY is.

I found this article: https://www.lifewire.com/are-dash-cams-legal-534879
"The general rule of thumb is that if your dash camera obscures more than a 5-inch square on the driver’s side or a 7-inch square on the passenger’s side, you could be courting disaster."
Now I would take that with a grain of salt until you get a more official source.

Mine is right behind my rearview mirror, I can't even see it.
I assume my passenger might be able to, but all I can see is the cord (that is neatly hidden away under weather trim) plugged into my car charger for power.

Were you already looking at a specific brand of dash cam?

At the end of the day, I'd say it's probably closer to j-walking enforcement but being upfront and honest about your dashcam before the officer notices it is probably a safe idea.
 
here when a cop comes up to your window we get told you are being recorded and asked if we have any objections (I don't think it would change anything but they ask you for the record), my response is generally 'I don't mind if you don't mind' I'm not sure they've understood that to mean I'm recording also though ;)
 
Honestly, you'd be better off asking a local NYPD officer where the best place to put it is.
Just to see what they say and go off of that.
(Bonus points for recording them tell you that so when you have a ticket come up, they can laugh and ignore your footage of the previous officer telling you)

Laws differ from State to State & according to the following article, California is under a different set of rules than NY is.

I found this article: https://www.lifewire.com/are-dash-cams-legal-534879
"The general rule of thumb is that if your dash camera obscures more than a 5-inch square on the driver’s side or a 7-inch square on the passenger’s side, you could be courting disaster."
Now I would take that with a grain of salt until you get a more official source.

Mine is right behind my rearview mirror, I can't even see it.
I assume my passenger might be able to, but all I can see is the cord (that is neatly hidden away under weather trim) plugged into my car charger for power.

Were you already looking at a specific brand of dash cam?

At the end of the day, I'd say it's probably closer to j-walking enforcement but being upfront and honest about your dashcam before the officer notices it is probably a safe idea.

I already bought an Aukley. I'm mounting it behind the mirror so I can't see it, but then it's very visible from the outside. I wanted to put it right in the tint area so only the camera peaks out making it harder to see, but then it will be above the rear view mirror. Asking a cop won't help to much variation in how they interpret laws, also if I leave the city have state troopers, and small town cops to worry about
 
You should not have any problems with a camera up high in front of mirror, i myself have 4 cameras up there making them all fairly visible indeed, but thats the life when you do testing.
The Danish rules actually state you cant have anything on your windscreen or dangling from the mirror, but it is also one of the laws that are not uphold by police either to them not caring or manpower which granted are very low all things considered.
But even local cop programs on TV where they bust someone for drunk driving or speeding, and the person have nav unit and phone right in the middle of the windscreen, the cop dont even fine them for that with a TV crew right behind him.

It is kinda sad cuz why have rules when so many clearly dont give a damn about that rule :cautious:

I do like jokiins 'I don't mind if you don't mind' but it is not needed here, cops dont wear cameras cuz police and other people in public employment generally dont make mistakes ;), and we the public can record anything we want to in general, only sharing some things in public might be a little problematic.
So most times i dont tell cops they are being recorded, but some times they do spot a camera when looking inside my car from the outside.
 
I travel all lower 48 states. I've never had a problem, but keep mine at the top center of the windshield, but still in the 'swept' area of the wipers. I have heard 'stories' from drivers of having problems in some states, but I mostly think it was a situation where the driver pissed off the cop, or the cop was looking for anything to harass that person over. Neat, discrete, no dangling wires, and don't scream at the cop 'I'm recording you, you facist pig' while pointing to the camera, and you'll probably be OK. :)
 
Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about it if you got the Aukey.
It's smaller than a lot of the other dashcams out there and you should be able to get it out of your view but I think it would all really come down to the interaction with the officer.
 
Each US state has it's own specific and often quite different laws governing windshield obstructions. Some states are very restrictive, some not so much. Some states strictly enforce these statutes and some don't.

In my state it is totally illegal to mount virtually anything anywhere except the upper left or lower right corner of the windscreen under certain circumstances. When I first got into dash cams eight years ago I was very worried that I might end up with an expensive ticket if I got stopped by the cops. (currently $156!)

It turns out the law was written long before toll transponders, GPS units, cell phone mounts or even radar detectors became as popular as they currently are and I kept seeing them on local vehicles everywhere I went. (very few dash cams though) Some of those GPS units I see are even mounted right in the middle of the windshield! Finally, I started asking acquaintances and random people I would encounter in parking lots who had devices on their windshields if they had ever had an issue with the police over mounting things on their windscreens and universally, everyone said no. Most were not even aware it was illegal and that they risked a big fine. So after eight years of using dash cams I've concluded that the police where I live have decided to simply not enforce this particular law and it's never been an issue. In fact, because of an ongoing criminal harassment matter (the reason I first became interested in dash cams) several state police officers are well aware of the dash cams I have in my vehicle and they've never expressed any concerns about my having them. (They've been very impressed with the footage however.)

Here is a screen shot of the first section of the actual statute in my state (VT). It is easy to go online and have a look at the statutes in your state to find out what is or is not permitted. If you are concerned about whether you might get cited for having an illegal windshield mounted device I would suggest doing what I did and start asking around among friends and acquaintances or when you happen to encounter someone in a parking lot who has a device mounted on their windscreen and ask if they've ever had any problem with law enforcement. You might even ask a few cops about it.

obstructions.jpg
 
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I was reading up on my local laws here, and as with so many other laws here the wording of this are somewhat ambiguous.

But it seem like you can put stuff on your windscreen, but the wording keep focusing on NAV units and phone docks that should be installed at the very bottom of the windscreen possibly in the lower left corner.
And the in general must not obstruct the view for the driver, so any other place will not do it, though i am pretty sure my row of cameras in front of the mirror are okay, and my phone holder that come off the fixed window on the driver side door.
But when the talk turn to semis, then nothing at all are allowed on any window are illegal, though you often see a semi with so much stuff in the window that the free part are in the minority.
For some strange reason this often seem to be Dutch truckers according to what i read on local forums.
 
By those definitions that band of black dots around and along the top of your windshield (frit) is illegal.
 
Just my personal experience but I've been driving around NYC, all the boroughs, and numerous states all around in every direction and never had an issue concerning leo's and my cam. I also drive onto numerous military installations through the main gate and not once had the person at the gate comment on my camera.

That being said, I'd guess if an officer wants a reason to pull you over just to 'check things out', sure, they'll use the cam as their reason the same they can use many a small thing that they can use. But to pull a person over specifically for the camera? That would have to be one p.i.t.a. cop and they have better things to be looking out for/worrying about, at least IMO.
 
Had to google what p.i.t.a. was

wooooosh :bucktooth:

dang cops and their tzatziki attitudes.
 
Well this thread got me to do research on the matter as having a cell phone in the middle of the windshield is a growing and IMO alarming trend here in Ontario. The law here is very disappointing. It seems one can mount anything anywhere on the windshield. As such, a strictly dash cam unit which does does not have a dual purpose as a GPS with screen, which is normally smaller than the a cell phone or GPS should not be a problem if mounted as these larger devices can be mounted any where.

From https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/distracted-driving-101-whats-legal-and-what-isnt, where "Gatien" is a "Ottawa police sergeant"

Q: What’s legal?
A: Mounting a cellphone on your dashboard around eye level and using it on speakerphone is legal. You can even press it once to answer a call and one more time to hang up, because similarly to a GPS, your eyes are still somewhat on the road. Gatien recommends mounting the device to the driver’s left side rather than the middle of the windshield. “If the phone is in your lap and you press the button to answer or end a call isn’t illegal, but as soon as you look down you’ve committed the offence. So the offence is taking your eyes off the road to look down.”​
So Ontario has no law about obstructing the windshield. You could have a big honking LCD TV screen and its legal as long as you are always looking forward and never at your groin.

I read in the states, some cell phone mounts are not legal. But I can't see any reason why a dash cam, at the top of the frame, or in the vicinity of the rear mirror should be illegal anywhere.

Edit: I said anywhere, actually the cellphone mount can be eye level, which to me is stupid as it stands the chance of obstructing your eye sight while driving.

Edit#2: Found an article that actually looked the ministry as opposed to interviewing a police officer
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/glo...d-cant---do-behind-the-wheel/article17644659/

What you can't do legally
Here's what sections 78 and 78.1 say you can't do while driving, including while stopped at a light, according to the MTO:
  • Use hand-held wireless communication devices like cell phones, iPhones or BlackBerrys
  • Text, dial or e-mail
  • Use hand-held electronic entertainment devices, like iPods or other portable MP3 players and GameBoys
  • View display screens unrelated to driving on devices like laptops, tablets and DVD players
  • Program a GPS device, other than by voice commands.
What you can do legally
  • Use hands-free wireless communications devices with an earpiece, lapel button or Bluetooth device;
  • View the display screens of GPS units that are integrated into the vehicle or mounted on a dashboard and not obscuring the driver's view;
  • Use portable MP3 players hands-free, as long as they're secured in or mounted to the vehicle
  • Call 911

There is nothing about obstruction of windshield, but it does say one can use a handheld communication device. This makes mounting on the windshield a grey area as it no longer a hand held device if not hand held.

There is nothing in section 78 or 78.1 about the use of dash cams.
 
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So he was pulled over for driving and filming cuz thats what those biker mobs do too, while disregarding just about any traffic rule.
That bike look to be spammed in cameras :giggle:

Last night i really taught i once again managed to look sufficient suspect for the cops to pull me over, but no they just passed me and carried on.
 
That cop seemed pretty easy going, not really what I would consider a p.i.t.a., but I guess any minor inconvenience can be a p.i.t.a. to the individual going through it.
Ninja edit, what the heck is Panda Juice (near the end of the video he mentions it)
 
Hehe well as Pandas only live in China, and the Chinese eat some weird stuff, well maybe Panda juice are why the Pandas are endangered :giggle:
As a conservative eater i think i will have to pass on Panda juice
 
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