The Malaysian Royal Police (PDRM) are considering submitting a proposal to the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Road Transport Department (JPJ) to encourage the usage of dashcams in private vehicles. In a statement to The Vibes, inspector-general of police (IGP) Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said that such devices would assist investigations into road crashes as well as public complaints on traffic safety and violations.
He added that dashcam recordings could also help police scrutinise untowards events on the road and public areas. These include scams where individuals intentionally throw themselves in front of your vehicle with the intention of making false insurance claims, or even extort money from you as “compensation” for the “accident”. One such notable (albeit poorly executed) incident was shared by a Malaysian motorist last year, who luckily recorded the whole thing on their vehicle’s dashcam which helped foil the scammer’s plan.
“It (dashcam usage) should be definitely encouraged,” the IGP stressed. When asked if the police would put forward a proposal to the Transport Ministry and JPJ to encourage the installation of dashcams, he replied that it can be suggested. Moreover, Acryl noted that the police have been advocating the channelling of precise information and support from the public on traffic and crime incidents.
Just a couple of weeks prior, PDRM posed a question via its official Facebook page, asking the public for their opinion on the use of dashcams. “What do you think? Road users are advised to install dashcams, which not only record the cause of a road crash and those involved, it could help to reveal road bullies,” it wrote.
Many who responded to the post agreed with the police’s suggestion, though there are also those who express concern about the costs of such devices. The latter of which is a valid point, as dashcams could fetch a very hefty price. To that extent, the “cheap doesn’t guarantee good” logic pretty much applies to these products, especially when recording quality and battery life are major factors to consider.
In any case, if you’re interested in scouting for a dashcam, consider going through the scorecard shared by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) from late last year. Included in the list are 40 of such devices from various brands, each featuring a score out of a maximum of five stars based on their basic, advanced and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistant System) features.
(Source: The Vibes)
