Dash Cam Light?

[Jonnny]

vikingaero said:

Most dashcams have settings for the screen to power off after x seconds, 1 minute or permanently on. The amoebas who have them on all the time like the reassurance of a fully functioning dashcam and are ready to pronounce CAM-RAH!. Plus for them it is an announcement that they are not to be messed with.

This is when driving towards a dashcam wker, a phone flash/torch type light on in the windscreen forward facing.. It's weird, why its even got one in the first place gets me.

[Somebody]

Front facing white light on this dashcam:

[xjay1337]

Baldchap said:

Auto dimming mirrors usually have a light.

Very small light.

Many dash cams have very bright lights.
Or, the screens on.

Seems dumb.

I have set my Nexbases to "screen save" where the screen turns off after 30 seconds.

[LarsG]

I have dash cams in all my vehicles and I do not recall any showing a light to the front. If they did the reflection of the light in the windscreen would interfere with the picture. At the most they has a dim flashing red or purple light facing the driver to show that it is on.

[phil y]

janesmith1950 said:

Usually doing something incredibly numpty-like as they go.

Signs that someone is going to be incompetent and should be treated with extreme caution;

- Bright dashcam screen, especially if randomly suckered in driver's line of sight
- Citroen Picasso

I wonder if Ronnie Pickering has got a dash cam these days?

[poo at Paul's]

I saw some BMW branded dashwker cams even come with a forward facing BLUE light, so they can feel even more like a Road Wars star than their Walt mates. Bellends

[Puddenchucker]

Presumably, the OP is referring to this type of thing:

And yes, I've wondered what the point of these LEDs are, as I doubt the'd illuminate the forward view much further than the fromt of the bonnet.

[Jonnny]

Exactly this, and the example above.

Surely it's pointless? Anyone with a dashcam know better?

[Baldchap]

I have never seen a dashcam with a stupid 'torch' shining forward at windscreen height. Surely that's not legal?

I assumed they all had IR night vision. Mine does. Nobody outside the car would ever know it's there.

[Baldchap]

Pica-Pica said:

Baldchap said:

They have an LED showing they are active, usually.

Not in my experience. Why would they have, or need that? What makes and models?

Certainly everything VAG and I'm pretty sure everything else I've had with an auto dimming mirror. It's to tell you it's on, just like the LED on your rear heated windscreen control.

Type 'auto dimming rear view mirror' into Google image search and you'll see.

Edited by Baldchap on Tuesday 22 January 07:30

[Lincsls1]

My rear view mirror has a small green LED indicating the auto dim function is on, but it is very subtle and certainly not what the OP is talking about.
I bet now this thread has been created, all viewers of it will start noticing these flash light type things coming from what is most certainly a dash cam. Bet many have been bought for Xmas.
The light is irritating, pointless and possibly dangerous. The drivers in question using it either thoughtless or just stupid.
Like someone else said earlier, its like driving around with the flash light on my iphone fixing it to the screen centre. Why?

[Pica-Pica]

Baldchap said:

Pica-Pica said:

Baldchap said:

They have an LED showing they are active, usually.

Not in my experience. Why would they have, or need that? What makes and models?

Certainly everything VAG and I'm pretty sure everything else I've had with an auto dimming mirror. It's to tell you it's on, just like the LED on your rear heated windscreen control.

Type 'auto dimming rear view mirror' into Google image search and you'll see.

Edited by Baldchap on Tuesday 22 January 07:30

No thanks, my E36 from 1998 and my 335d from 2016 do not have an auto dim mirror light, why would it. Why would I need to know it is on? That seems a crazy set-up.

[scottos]

I've seen quite a few cars with a forward facing white light from a dash cam, i think its there for them to make it doubly clear to everyone else that they are a dash cam w*nker

[jamei303]

I've started noticing these in the last few days, either a blue or white light. Perhaps it's supposed to convey "I'VE GOT A DASHCAM I'LL PUT YOU ON YOUTUBE" because I can't think of any other reason for having such a light.

[anonymous-user]

I was following an elderly driver on Sunday and she had two cameras almost totally obscuring the middle of her windscreen. She proceeded to drive at 45 in the 50 limit and 45 in the 30. fking oblivious to the outside world I would think until a nasty man in an Audi overtakes her.

It’s the new identification for asshole drivers.

[Russian Troll Bot]

Somebody said:

Front facing white light on this dashcam:

That's the model I've got - never used the light as I can't figure out what possible use it could be given that I'd be using my headlights anyway

[Eng274]

Perhaps the built-in light is specially designed for those who drive everywhere with DRLs or no forward lighting at all..

[NDA]

Do head up displays produce a light when viewed from the victims perspective?

[Vocht]

To be fair, the dashcam lights deter brake testers and crash-4-cash fraudsters. If everyone drove as if they were being filmed I'm sure the roads would be a less aggressive.

[Chamon_Lee]

Vocht said:

To be fair, the dashcam lights deter brake testers and crash-4-cash fraudsters. If everyone drove as if they were being filmed I'm sure the roads would be a less aggressive.

they really wouldn't because everyone with a dashcam thinks they are right and never do wrong. Some of the things I see dashcam users do makes me wonder what people would think if they uploaded their own driving and weren't so busy being concerned about others.