For my 65yo parents...

[sonofauser]

(notice: this is written on an old laptop... My "a, d, & s" keys don't work, as such, I have them on CRL-V. If words are misspelled or uncapitalized, please forgive me...)


Hey everyone!

I'm new to dashcams... want to get my folks (65+) who are attempting retirement/years of combating I.d. fraud, a gift this year (they need to get back to work to reclaim their credit) My mom has a job lined up, and as a gift, I want to buy her a dashcam (her night vision isn't 100%, plus she was never that great a driver, don't tell her I said that) so I'd like to give her that little bit of protection. Perhaps one with high visual clarity but that doesn't break the bank?

any suggestions for a cam/software with the elderly in mind? or one easy enough to learn for them?

 

[SawMaster]

Welcome to DCT @sonofauser

If you use a hardwire kit (HWK) then most dashcams take care of themselves, starting and stopping in concert with the ignition key, so nothing is needed for normal use. You do need to pull the sd card occasionally to check that the cam is still recording abnd it's best to reformat it in-cam after that. That isn't terrible complicated but may require navigating a menu via an LCD screen or via a phone app. That may get a little complicated for someone who has never used a computer but pretty easy for most of us. You might do it when you visit your folks.

Most of today's decent dashcams do OK with video at night, but older/cheaper ones may not do so well. Since this seems to be important here it needs to be considered. You also need to understand that our dashcam video also shows our own driving, so leaving your lane, running a stop sign, etc will be recorded too. That's normally not an issue but if your Mom doesn't drive so good then this may matter. Dashcam systems can run to many hundreds of dollars for the fanciest set-ups but can be had for under a hundred if you shop well, so how much budget do you have for this? And can you do the installation yourself? Normally that's not hard to do if you have any DIY skills at all along with a slight knowledge of cars; we can talk you through that and there's tons of YouTube vids to watch which will walk you through it.

A footnote: if your laptop is W7 or newer it may have a 'touch keyboard' program- I've had to revert to that when my keyboard died till a new one got delivered. That can be mouse controlled if you don't have a touch screen. A USB keyboard is another option (I do this myself as I prefer a full-sized keyboard) and on older lap-tops there may be a keyboard port. The cheap stuff from your local "Big Lots" store is what I use.

Phil