Mirror Dashcam legal in California?

KyleC

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I've been doing some research on dash cam, but most models sold in the US are some type of unit that have to be mounted to the windshield separately.

In China there are models of dash cam that replaces your rearview mirror (clamps onto your existing one) and has a small camera at the bottom for recording. The rearview mirror acts as a screen when you want to check videos or change modes, and at other times can be used as the regular rearview mirror.

My question is, since I have never seen any website or videos in the US talk about this type of dash cam, are they legal to use in the US, specifically, are they legal to use in California?

Below is an image of what one of the mirror dashcam sold in China looks like.

dashcam 1.jpg
 
technically illegal in your market, not because of obstruction of any sort but because the glass isn't safety rated on these
 
technically illegal in your market, not because of obstruction of any sort but because the glass isn't safety rated on these

Thank you for your reply. So if I can find a brand that is CE certified or something, technically I should be able to use it with no problem?
 
Thank you for your reply. So if I can find a brand that is CE certified or something, technically I should be able to use it with no problem?

needs E Mark approval for glass for automotive use, I'm unaware of any clip on mirror that has this approval, I would say 99% of these mirrors are used in the Chinese domestic market where they don't care about approvals, the expectation is a lot lower also so they don't really make for an export quality type result, probably the best one out there at the moment would be the Papago, not sure if they have the approvals either but their standards are definitely a lot higher and they at least have a decent DVR solution inside
 
needs E Mark approval for glass for automotive use, I'm unaware of any clip on mirror that has this approval, I would say 99% of these mirrors are used in the Chinese domestic market where they don't care about approvals, the expectation is a lot lower also so they don't really make for an export quality type result, probably the best one out there at the moment would be the Papago, not sure if they have the approvals either but their standards are definitely a lot higher and they at least have a decent DVR solution inside
Thank you so much for the explanation. I guess I'll get a regular dash cam then. Safety is priority. :D Thank you!
 
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