Drivers could find themselves having their insurance invalidated if they are making a little known about but easy to commit mistake.
According to the RAC, an estimated 2.9million people across the country are thought to use a dashcam in their vehicle. They are used by many drivers to protect them from fraudulent claims or to film the illegal driving behaviour of others. Many dashcam users are also benefiting from cheaper insurance since some providers offer lower premiums for motorists that have the recorded devices fitted.
As convenient as that may seem for your purse strings, dashcams can also cause drivers financial damage if they're not careful.
Graham Conway, managing director at Select Van Leasing, has warned that if you’ve got a dashcam hard-wired into your vehicle - rather than simply plugged in to your car’s cigarette lighter socket or USB port - you need to notify your insurer.
“It’s frustrating to think that doing something proactive to protect yourself from a claim, or even theft, might come back to bite you, but motorists need to be aware of the legalities concerning dashcams. Some of the more expensive dashcams on the market are wired directly to the car’s battery, rather than simply plugging into a socket in the vehicle’s cabin," he explained.
“Being hard-wired means the dash cam offers added protection and can remain switched on, even when the engine isn’t running, so that it continues to record after the owner has vacated the driver’s seat. While a plug-in dash cam is considered a simple accessory in the eyes of most insurers, a hard-wired dash cam is deemed to be a ‘modification’ to your vehicle, and you need to notify your insurer that you’ve got one fitted.
“If you don’t, and the worst does ultimately happen, you might not be covered against a claim - even though you could have clear evidence to prove any wrongdoing.”
According to car insurance comparison firm Confused.com, if a dashcam is wired to the vehicle and becomes a permanent feature, it must be declared to an insurer for the insurance cover to remain.
Mr Conway is full of helpful motoring tips. He recently offered some words of wisdom for those who have converted a van into a campervan. Usually, most campervans - which are called 'motor caravans' by the law - are treated just like a car when it comes to speed limits, as long as they weigh less than 3,050kg when they're empty. This means you can drive at 60mph on national speed limit roads, 70mph on dual carriageways, and 70mph on motorways.
But if your vehicle used to be a panel van and has been turned into a camper, either by you or a specialist, things get a bit more complicated and you might need to slow down a bit.
Mr Conway said: "Unlike dedicated campers, most vans have to stick to a lower speed limit than cars, and must follow the limits set for goods vehicles of the same weight. That means 50mph on single-lane national speed limit roads, 60mph on dual carriageways, and 70mph on motorways.
"And while your vehicle might look like a camper, it might still be classified as a van in the eyes of the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency and the Department for Transport if that's what it was in an earlier life. I'd urge campervan owners to check the 'V5C' logbook for their vehicle. If it's classified as a 'motor caravan', you can keep up with other cars."