I'm not an RX driver, but I got one after a guy ran across a three lane highway in front of me at dusk and again in the middle of the night later the next week. Drunk driving laws are getting so strict the drunks are walking to the store no matter what is in their way. On my drive home there is a large trailer park across the highway from a liquor store. It is getting quite common to see people at the side of the highway looking for the right time to bolt across. Sometimes with kids in tow.

If the worse case scenario happens I will have a record of the Jay Walker trying to cross so I don't get charged or sued for running them over as they walked along on the shoulder or some other version of events.

It has also helped a few times when someone was about to cut me off on side streets and you see them spot the camera in front of the rear view mirror. They stop and let me go as I had right of way.

Asked a cop about it and he said it has to sit no more than 4 inches from the top of the windshield. That would put it in the tinted section and obscure the image. I put it nested behind the rear view mirror (2000 LS) where I cannot see but a tiny bit of the screen, which turns off after a few second on start up.

It auto shuts off and loops the recording so after five minutes it starts recording over the saved video. I don't want a continuous ten hour recording of my driving that could be used against me.

Bought off Amazon for like $60 IFIRC. Slipped the cord behind the headliner trim and plugs into the passenger side rear seat door mounted cigarette lighter. It is a bit awkward if I have four passengers but it can be removed in a few minutes and plugged in up front for longer road trips with friends.

 

I'll be upgrading to an installed unit on the next vehicle. Right now I hang a GoPro from the sunroof. Haven't really caught anything terrible yet. But it sure does make you rethink the way you drive if you happen to watch yourself after.

 

I'm not sure what field of view your gopro has, but my cheap dash cam has a 120 plus degree field of view and night vision via an IR emitter. I'm amazed at what it can see from both sides of the car and at night. Gopro definitely is HD, so I'll give you that one.

 

I've caught a few close calls in the 2 yrs I've had mine:

a) car in front of me turning left right into the path of an oncoming car, clear as day with headlights on. I was behind and I saw the oncoming car clearly, I stopped short expecting the car in front would be smashed back into me, but at the last second the driver in front woke up and slammed the brakes allowing the oncoming car to veer around.
b) Leaving the coffee shop drive thru, car in of me front pulls out right, I follow. The car in front of me accelerates even though up head their is an oncoming van in the process of a left hand turn in front of us. Slow down you say and give that guy an extra second to finish his turn, NO WAY. The car continues to accelerate quickly aiming to just barely miss the guys bumper as he turns in. Only thing he didn't figure, the van would slow slightly to go up over the curb so suddenly the zero margin of error became a negative margin of error at the last second and he had to do an emergency evasive turn into the other lane.
c) 4 lane road, 2 lanes east completely backed up with traffic. 2 west lanes open. East bound taxi racing by passing everyone on the outside to get to the left turning lane still quite a ways up. Only trouble, just ahead of me a car was slowly cutting through the 2 lanes of traffic turning out from a parking lot on the right to turn left/west into the open lanes going the other way. Taxi swerved out just as the car emerged, I had braced myself for a collateral impact it was that close.
d) Again, just pulling out from a coffee shop drive through, just as I get on the road I see an oncoming cargo van hit the brakes and stop an inch from a pedestrian that had walked right into traffic. I still remember the look on her face, like she had just been groped by a stranger.

I really have to start keeping the videos and make a montage one day, up until now I've look at them a few times and then deleted them.

 

I have to remember to avoid the coffee shops that you frequent.

 

can i hardwire a dashcam via the mirror like i do my radar detector? never really looked into dash cams but the more crazy people i see driving the more i want one. I just dont want it difficult to install and bulging/in the way. that blackvue looks like a good size.

 

I do not know when Lexus will come up with build-in traffic dash cam, or at least a power port near the dash mirror. It is now a trend for safety to have this dash cam function. But I do not want to install this myself because there are a dangling wire to the user USB port and does not fit the nice interior setting. Some car accessories center may help to fit the wire nicely but I think it may void warranties from Lexus if they tapped into the power circuit board. But disappointingly, I have not heard Lexus to have any plans to develop a built-in dash cam, or any provisions for power dear the dash mirror. Anyone know how to convey this user wish list to Lexus designers?

 

I think there is a general fear of providing dashcams built in might be perceived as a privacy concern, they already have the airbag black boxes now, the dashcams tell 10X more story. You call it a safety issue, but it's more of a CYA issue. Do you need the video to protect yourself from idiots, or are you the idiot (not you, but any car owner concerned about being watched). I do think it would be a great idea though.

As for power, I installed mine right in behind the right side of the rear view mirror beside the auto-highbeam sensor. The power cord goes up into the headliner, down the passenger side pillar all the way to the floor, under the passenger mat to the center console. The cord is completely invisible except where it enters the console (and I could have hidden that part too by going underneath by was lazy). Installed the entire thing with just my fingers without disassembling anything. I've heard others taking power of the rain wiper sensor, but I found poking the cable along the edge worked well.

Sorry I couldn't answer your actual question though...

 

I'm sure it won't be long before Mito Corp will make a dashcam rearview mirror for the OEMs.
They already have provided HomeLink and Reverse camera display mirrors.

 

I will be doing a DYI on my front and rear dash cam install soon.
Can someone tell me if the best source for power would still be the rear cig lighter in the cargo area?

 

Switched or unswitched?

Salim

 

Planning on installing it in a way that is turns on when the car turns on and off when it turns off.

 

This is why:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=10i...UUN0wCOd8gOSYI

And after reviewing this video, his insurance accepted full responsibility, I had car fixed and drove free rental for 3 weeks.

 

Do you think the car with the camera could have stopped safely before the intersection? I don't know if the video is in real time but I think I counted four "Mississippis" from the time the traffic light turned yellow until the two cars collide. Does the dashcam show the speed?

When I turn left without a protected left, I err on the side of caution. That is, I wait for the oncoming traffic to fully stop before I turn. I'd rather **** off the ones waiting for the intersection to clear on their green light.

 

Yes, exactly!!! I have dash cams too. Two forward facing (one sticks on the windshield/second one attached to the rear view mirror and one rear facing. ).

Which make and model do you have?