rear-facing dash cam... what if cars don't require front license plates in my state?

[twoscoops]

I'm looking to get a 2nd dash cam and mount it on the rear window.

Why am I doing this? Someone once hit me from the rear and took off...
The driver backed up a bit, made a U-turn and drove off. I had the
urge to chase after him/her, but decided it wasn't worth the risks.
The responding cop told me that the driver likely was wanted, had
no license or no insurance, underage, drunk, illegal immigrant, or
simply did not want to deal with it...or even all of the above?

Now that I think about it, a rear-facing dash cam wouldn't have helped
me locate that driver in that case. Since cars do not have front license
plates in my state. (or any of the 5 neighboring states)

I think the only "possible" solution is to find a dash cam that can clearly
show the face of the driver behind me... and there may be a very remote
chance that the cops can track down the person? Unlikely, but not
impossible, right? Is there a dash cam that's capable of this?

I suppose this can apply to cars in any of of these states indicated
in red.

 

[CheckYourLights]

Now that I think about it, a rear-facing dash cam wouldn't have helped me locate that driver in that case. Since cars do not have front license plates in my state.

I would not know that that is %100 true. While having front registration plates would help quite a bit video would always be a positive over no video. Although no front plate. Was the car a Ford? a Doge? based on the shape and headlights could it have been a Focus? a Mustang? a Charger? Was the car damaged before it hit you? did it have a miss matched bumper or fender although no front plate was their a vanity plate or a plate basket. Some cars like Pontiac Grand Ams have a cover that says Pontiac where a front plate would be. Every little bit helps in identifying a car involved.

Anyhow back on topic. I am kind of curious myself as to how a camera would do getting details like face of a driver when placed in back. If i remember right Forum Member Milamber had put a VicoVation TF2+ in the rear but the view was to wide.

 

[niko]

What is car make / model ?
Does your rear windows is tinted ?

 

[jokiin]

a good 1080p cam has no problem picking up the detail, shooting through two angled pieces of glass though (your back window, his front) does mean there are times when there'll be too much reflection, sun coming from the wrong angle etc which will hamper the results, still as CheckYourLights pointed out there's a lot of other detail that would help regardless

 

[CheckYourLights]

still as CheckYourLights pointed out there's a lot of other detail that would help regardless

I know things happen fast, and there is a lot going on when someone hits you and it can be tough to grasp things for a moment witch makes having a rear camera even more important to be able to go back and notice these details.

Even more so if you happen to be someone who is into cars you would be able to pick up things to help narrow down year or notice different things about the car.

Just for the sake of my post things like 93-97 Camaros have glass headlights 98-02 have plastic ones . 93-97 Trans Ams have flat noses 98-02 have rounded noses. Things like fender vents or hood vents or scoops stickers or emblems or were the emblems taken off. If it was a Boy Racer type car did it have loud exhaust as it turned around 2 door or 4 door did it have a rear lip, spoiler or wing. If it was a van was it Ford Transit Van or commercial looking van. If it is a state that requires annual inspection do the stickers look similar to yours or a different style or color? I could go on and on how to narrow down tracking down a car or truck and the camera helps keep those little details that make the difference that can help you turn looking for 100 cars in the area to 10.

 

[Gabolinche]

The driver backed up a bit, made a U-turn and drove off.

If he only backed up a bit and made a U-turn, and if your rear-facing cam was a real 1080p, there's a very good chance you could've recorded the license plate on the back of his car as he drove off in the opposite direction... I guess it would depend on the width of the viewing angle...

 

[Lunar]

Well fortunately we don't have that problem in the UK as the law states you have to have plates front and rear, I've been driving about 45yrs and in that time have only had 2 accidents and on both occasions it was drivers going into the back of my vehicle, one was repairable at their cost obviously, but IMO your car is never 100% the same again, and the other much more serious incident was when I was stationary in traffic going to work one morning and the guy behind hit the rear end at high speed forcing my car into the car in front of me. It seems the guy had been working nights and had fallen asleep at the wheel and his foot went down on the gas pedal, thats what the police told me afterwards. They wrote the car off as the floor actually buckled up in the centre.

There's no doubt I was extremely lucky as other than a few aches, grazes and a stiff neck I was fine. So when I recently bought a new VW Tiguan 4WD Auto USV (my pride and joy) I put a camera in the front and the rear, people in the UK seem to think its okay to drive about 20ft or even less behind you.. even on motorways at 70 or 80 mph, the driving standards over here is attrocious at times, and if you get bumped there's a 50/50 chance its some immigrant without any insurance or driving licence, and its becoming more prevalent, just too many cars on the roads, wer'e simply too over populated...lol. Other than those 2 bumps in which I was stationary on both occasions I've been accident free and still have a clean license having never had any speeding points. (better not speak to soon...lol) So I do think cams in the rear can be handy, in fact I've observed that if someone gets too close, sometimes they will spot the camera which is small anyway, and they tend to drop back and keep their distance especially if they are using a mobile phone, which is illegal in the UK of course. There is a reversing camera fitted as standard kit but only for reversing and it does not record of course. In fact these VW Tiguans can even park themselves.. absolutely true, though I aways do it myself..lol

 

[CheckYourLights]

IMO your car is never 100% the same again

I have gotten this feeling too. after an accident the car is never %100 again no matter how good a job someone has done. Major or minor things are never the same.

the driving standards over here is attrocious at times, and if you get bumped there's a 50/50 chance its some immigrant without any insurance or driving licence, and its becoming more prevalent, just too many cars on the roads

I've read about it a lot that in the UK more and more drivers seem to be people without any insurance or driving licence. It seems to be big in some southern and west states here too. Years ago a family member of mine was just tapped by someone backing out of a car park and they asked to exchange insurance details just in case, and the driver had given false information to them.

I've observed that if someone gets too close, sometimes they will spot the camera which is small anyway, and they tend to drop back and keep their distance especially if they are using a mobile phone, which is illegal in the UK of course.

I believe all states ban Texting and Driving, but only some ban using a mobile for voice calls and driving.
I don't think i have ever had a driver drop a phone, but I have had a few go to take my turn at a stop sign and then stop once they seen my camera. A driver that almost ran a red light and would have hit me had then seen my camera and apologized. Then just the other day I was at an intersection where the traffic opposing me had a right turn on red, but there was traffic. The lead car was waiting for traffic to clear to make the right turn in a right turn only lane, and the driver behind him got out of line into the straight only lane and acted like he wanted to cut in front of the lead car with the way he had pointed his wheels back towards the lane he was in after getting over. Once he seen my camera he pointed his wheels straight and used the lane he was in correctly.

 

[Lunar]

I think a lot of the incidents of no licence and no insurance, is often involving the many immigrants we now have in the UK, It's not my desire to appear discrimate, but it's true, if one is to believe Police reports on Radio and TV, and I know 3 people who were hit in their cars by foreign drivers who could not even speak any English. How do they managed to read road signs if they cannot speak the language. Theres' no doubt this problem on our busy roads is becoming something of a concern. Luckily I live in the most rural county in the UK, which is Herefordshire, with one of the smallest populations too, a very pretty area actually, my wife and I retired here about 7 yrs ago, our nearest neighbors are mainly sheep and cattle, as it's very much a farming area. Gloucestershire just a few miles away, renown for it's Cotswold Hills has lots of really beautiful small villages, and is popular destination with American tourists. Stratford on Avon (Shakepeare country) is just 35 miles away.

Regarding phones, my own phone is switched off while I'm driving, if my wifes in the car, then I may then leave it on, so she can answer it, but TBH these days it's rare anyone rings, even the 3 kids (now grown up with families of their own) the 2 sons rarely phone at all, though the daughter and my wife do keep in regular contact.. I dont think any phone call is important enough it cannot wait until the next stop, I dont even think handsfree kits are 100% safe either, you can't have a phone conversation and give your driving the 100% concentration it needs.. JMO

Anyways.. my friend you take care, drive safely

 

[jokiin]

they used to do that for foreigners in China applying for a local license, it was only for the theory test (if you have an overseas license on the theory test is required) but worse, the interpreter would actually do the test as the test was previously only available in Chinese

I got my Chinese license after they stopped it, had to learn 1500 questions for the test and a lot was very poorly translated which made doing the test a bit of a challenge, some bizarre questions in there as well

 

[Lunar]

The ridiculous rule, allowing people to take theory and practical driving tests with AN INTERPRETER, introduced by the last government and still in force (till the end of this year, if I am not mistaken), didn't help either - thousands and thousands of drivers on our roads with absolutely no clue as to what the Highway Code is.

I wasn't aware we did that in the UK... though I do know now..lol absolutely ridiculious :-(( I've never heard anything so crazy, well this is the UK so I should'nt be surprised really, and on reading joklins post on this subject it's not much better in China, though it seems it may be more thorough with that many questions. I can well imagine it was indeed a challenge..lol

Personally if I had my way in the Uk I would probably make all drivers including myself of course take a driving test every 5 or maybe 10 years, I know a couple of people that should not be driving due to bad eyesight... blind as a bat..lol, they would have been stopped years ago under my proposal. Not elderly either but both refuse to wear spectacles, TBH I've often thought of reporting them ;-) and I'm sure there are many others too. Just think of all the jobs it would create, make the cost of the test such that it easily covered the cost of running it.

 

[Milamber]

I'm looking to get a 2nd dash cam and mount it on the rear window.

Is there a dash cam that's capable of this?

I suppose this can apply to cars in any of of these states indicated
in red.

Yes, there is a solution! I use Jokiin dashcam and with a 120 degree angle lens and 15mbit data rate your set. PM him for some pricing... His dashcam is like having a high def camera pointing in their face! It's that good it can read the branding on clothes

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