To GPS or not GPS

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Neil Smith

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Am I right in thinking that if GPS is on (or permanently enabled) this can add as a double-edged sword. If there is a collision or a traffic light is ignored, all the data is there for the police to look at? I certainly don't want that (not that I ignore traffic lights on purpose). So is this the case? If so, the assume I need to buy a device where I can disable the GPS?

Thanks.
 
Your speed can always be determined by objects in your footage and the distance between them and the time it take you to cover that distance.
So if you dont really pay attention to speed limits then recording your driving is probably not a good idea.

I recommend to do your best to drive within speed limits, and if you go a little over and get busted for it, man up and pay the fine and try to do better next time.
And having GPS enabled.

Having a camera right there on the windscreen is a double edged sword indeed, but many of us have found that it actually seem to help some on our own driving.
I for one also sometimes have a clip of myself making bad decisions in traffic in my uploads to youtube, i kinda have to do that if i point fingers at others i also have to look at myself first.

But here cops cant just grab my dashcam and use the footage on it against me, but they might be able to get a permit for that from a judge.

I dont fear anything, not even my own on occasion pretty monumental levels of stupid.

If you get a stealthy camera and install it in the right place then there is a good chance most people will not even notice its there.
 
If you're running lights, having GPS or not on your dashcam isn't really an issue here, the video would've caught it anyway.

By the way, I'm failing to see the correlation of GPS to traffic lights...??
The GPS records location and speed. It can also set the correct time zone. That's about all it does, in my opinion you should only be considering whether or not you need that function, how much extra it'll cost, and weigh your options.
If you buy a dashcam with GPS only to leave it disabled all the time, then maybe you should've just gotten one without GPS.
If you're only looking to disable it when you decide to break traffic laws, then you either shouldn't be driving (because operating things while driving is a big distraction and a hazard to everyone on the road, not to mention you're intentionally breaking the law), or shouldn't have gotten a dashcam in the first place.

Please drive safe, I know we aren't all saints and occasionally go over the speed limit or run a light, so you shouldn't worry about it too much. If you can't handle getting caught, then don't break the law, the dashcam is merely a passive witness of your actions.
 
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Raytis said:
If you buy a dashcam with GPS only to leave it disabled all the time, then maybe you should've just gotten one without GPS.
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in some products the GPS data is embedded in the video whether you like it or not, that can work against you if slightly over the speed limit or whatever so something to think about, if it's a product where you can log the data without showing it in the video than that can be a lot different
 
jokiin said:
in some products the GPS data is embedded in the video whether you like it or not, that can work against you if slightly over the speed limit or whatever so something to think about, if it's a product where you can log the data without showing it in the video than that can be a lot different
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It may differ by country, but some folks have mentioned that because the GPS in dashcams are not calibrated/certified, the GPS data can't be used as evidence. In the end it's up to the court to decide, don't quote me on that heh.
 
Raytis said:
It may differ by country, but some folks have mentioned that because the GPS in dashcams are not calibrated/certified, the GPS data can't be used as evidence. In the end it's up to the court to decide, don't quote me on that heh.
Click to expand...

it's not a calibrated measuring device so you're not going to get off a speeding ticket as that will be the argument, the general concern though is that you may have video that shows you slightly over the speed limit which could work against you with police or an insurer, suddenly they don't worry about it not being a calibrated measuring devices if it suits their agenda, I'm all for GPS for the functionality it offers in recording time and location information etc but believe the ability to not display the speed and location data in the video if the user chooses is a must, the models that have this hard coded whether you like it or not is a huge negative I believe
 
I like the GPS because it ensures correct date/time.
As others mentioned, there is nothing in GPS log that you can't get from the video.
 
Small query folks.
I have been caught twice for speeding and I was sure of not speeding both the time.
The first time , i got 4 points, went to the court & pleaded guilty got the points off.
But when it happened second time & the cop said it was the same speed his gun caught as the first one i was shocked, argued only to get a reckless driving ticket instead.
So he was smart to convert the speeding into reckless so i could not fight it in court, i paid up.
I want to buckle up myself as i drive like 130+ miles per day & I end up passing a lot of cops everyday & sometimes gets me nervous for no fault.
Also have been rear hit once & its quite common almost 10 of my colleagues have had the same accident.
I am confused if i need a gps enabled one to fight my ticket next time it happens.
Any suggestions?
 
I did not see the need to spend the extra for GPS data. about the only thing it would be good for IMO is time/date, and that does not seem to be an issue with my dash cam without GPS.
 
Neil Smith said:
Am I right in thinking that if GPS is on (or permanently enabled) this can add as a double-edged sword. If there is a collision or a traffic light is ignored, all the data is there for the police to look at? I certainly don't want that (not that I ignore traffic lights on purpose). So is this the case? If so, the assume I need to buy a device where I can disable the GPS?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
If you ignore a red traffic light then that should be recorded on the video so GPS is irrelevant, the GPS does not know the colour of the light anyway. Having the light colour recorded on the video is one of the main reasons for having a dashcam.

If the police actually get involved, which normally they wouldn't unless someone is killed or seriously injured, then for a traffic light incident the police will obtain most of the information GPS would provide and more by interrogating your car's ECU which will have recorded the incident, impact speed, impact forces and directions, use of brakes, maximum speed on the journey etc. They don't need a GPS log from an uncalibrated device.

In the UK, going a few mph above the speed limit is not going to get you into a lot of trouble or instantly put 100% blame on you. It may shift a bit of the blame in your direction but you should accept that if you were doing something illegal or dangerous, unless you are doing stupid speeds it is not something to worry about.

Rocky_NNC said:
I am confused if i need a gps enabled one to fight my ticket next time it happens.
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Having a GPS log should help your case, even though it is an uncalibrated device it will raise doubts on the accuracy of the police calibrated device. If your GPS shows that you where in one location at 10AM and arrived 40 miles (by road) away one hour later then it is highly likely that your average speed was 40mph, that is always going to be accurate even on an uncalibrated device. There is no point arguing about 1mph, but a 10mph difference would have to be explained and the video itself can be used as further evidence after a bit of effort making measurements. Police speed guns are not 100% accurate all of the time so can be questioned. UK police don't really use them anymore due to poor accuracy, most speeding tickets here are from video evidence or backed up by video evidence.
 
I wouldn't use one without GPS, an accident when I was rear ended by a part time cop(PCSO) saw myself getting held responsible as "he was 20 miles away at the time", it is ONLY due to my GPS that put him in the exact location at the exact time, his insurer AVIVA would not admit fault until minutes before going into county court when I sued them/him still didn't admit it but made a woeful £800 offer, this was rejected and the court found in my favour and awarded loads more.
For lying in a written document on oath no action was taken by the police over the policeman!!
Would I go without GPS no way just don;t do it imo!!
 
Thanks , that clears a lot of doubts.
So i will start looking for ones with GPS. I am in the US, you guys can recommend something below 100$. the orignal page has a few of them which says optional GPS.
Will start looking at each one of them too..
 
Embedded GPS and dashcams are both double-edged swords. Wielded well both can save your hide but wielded ineptly both can destroy you. Notice that the only difference here is you ;) I personally feel that my dashcam vids are enough with nothing added- YMMV. In the event of an incident, the first thing I do is check my cellphone for the time as it is continually updated to be within a few seconds of perfect because my usual cams do not keep perfect time but are close enough. I just reset the time on them as needed :) Note that cheap cams often do not keep time well- I have one which I use for a spare that will lose 3-4 hours in a week :eek: But with 3 other nearly accurate cams and my phone, all is good enough :cool:

Phil
 
I'm not getting the GPS with my speed showing.

I try not going over speed limits and end up looking down at my speedo too often, which is way more dangerous than going a few K's over.

As careful as I am ... I often find that it sneaks over the limit when I am not looking. I don't know what the Police are like over your way, but in Australia, even though they allow 2 or 3km/h over the speed limit with their speed camera fines ... I seriously doubt they would be lenient if looking at your Dash Cam Video of an accident where it shows you are over the speed limit when the collision occurred - even by by 1k ... over is over in the eyes of the law. Same goes with a breath test for alcohol and drugs.

I can't imagine Insurance Companies being lenient if they have an excuse not to pay out ... so no ... I am not prepared to give them a reason to act against me.

In short: I wouldn't trust Insurance Companies to be reasonable when money is involved .. and Police like to be seen to be doing their job .. so nabbing you is evidence of that.
I can just imagine .. 'No, we can't see the perp or license plate clearly ... only I see you went over the speed limit ... so it isn't a total waste of my time.' Here's a ticket. Have a nice Day.

I'm not interested in all that other lane warning stuff or co-ordinates
Handy if you are arrested and charged with an armed robbery .. where you can prove your whereabouts, or cop a speeding fine where you can prove you weren't anywhere near the scene, only you'd have to keep all your files as a record incase you need them.

It's a NO from me.
 
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Another speedtracker app from ios , haven't tried it yet 3.99$ records the trip , that should be an additional armor if needed.
For now without or with GPS is still a question for me. Proving in court is one thing in the US.
 
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In the uk a lot of people believe there is a set amount you can go over but it's garbage, the offence is to exceed what ever the limit is, most cops/forces use 10% + 3 mph, but don't have to there's nothing set in law, if there was "limits" wouldn't be limits!!
They are quite good in this respect tbh speaking from personal experience when I have supplied evidence to them, but they can take nearly two YEARS to give a USB stick back!!
 
I inadvertently selected the non-gps version and later found no amount of additional options or modules could add GPS. The difference was five bucks. The only solution was to buy another dashcam.

You don't need to use it, but since the cost difference isn't worth the time to deliberate, you may want the option.
 
throrope said:
You don't need to use it, but since the cost difference isn't worth the time to deliberate, you may want the option.
Click to expand...

Just be sure that you can truly disable the GPS if you want that ;) It's an issue which one cam maker recently found themselves resolving (which was successful) :D That data was being embedded into the memory whether the function was switched 'off' or not in the menu :eek:

Phil
 
IMO, a dashcam should only do 2 jobs & do them to the best of its ability - record video and record audio. Start asking the processor to do more and more work is just asking for problems down the line.
If I happened to be involved in a prang somewhere in the middle of nowhere, with no identifiable features, my mobile phone's gps feature will embed the location in all the pictures I will be taking at the scene.
 
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