Good point about night-time footage quality—hadn't really thought about that. I went budget too, figuring something was better than nothing, but now you're making me second-guess myself, haha. Wonder if there's any actual data on accident times...my gut says daytime is busier, but nighttime probably has more serious incidents due to visibility and fatigue. Maybe upgrading isn't such a bad idea after all...ugh, my wallet's already complaining.
Honestly, from my experience dealing with claims day in and day out, night-time accidents aren't always worse or more frequent. Sure, visibility sucks and fatigue is real, but daytime traffic brings its own special chaos—distracted drivers, congestion, rushed commuters, you name it. I've seen plenty of nasty daytime pile-ups because someone's busy texting or trying to beat a yellow light.
As for the dashcam quality debate...I get the temptation to upgrade, but truth is, even grainy footage can save your butt in court. Had a case last year where my client had a cheapo cam—footage looked like it was shot with a potato—but it still clearly showed the other car blowing a red. Judge didn't care about resolution; evidence is evidence. If your wallet's already hurting, maybe stick with what you have for now and just upgrade later when you can comfortably afford it.
"Had a case last year where my client had a cheapo cam—footage looked like it was shot with a potato—but it still clearly showed the other car blowing a red."
Haha, "shot with a potato" is spot-on. Honestly, even a budget dashcam is better than nothing. Just make sure it's angled right and actually recording... learned that one the hard way myself.
"Just make sure it's angled right and actually recording... learned that one the hard way myself."
Yeah, that's a good point. I've seen plenty of cases where someone thought they had solid dashcam footage, only to find out later it wasn't even recording or the angle was totally off. A quick tip from experience: every few weeks, just take a minute to check your footage—make sure it's clear enough to read license plates and street signs. Also, double-check your memory card regularly; cheap ones can corrupt easily, especially in extreme weather.
Honestly though, even grainy footage can be a lifesaver in court. Judges don't usually care if your video looks cinematic—they just want clear evidence of what happened. Still, investing in something halfway decent is probably worth it in the long run. You never know when you'll need that footage to bail you out of a messy situation...
Good advice there. One more thing I'd add—make sure your dashcam actually overwrites old footage properly. I once borrowed my dad's car for practice and we thought everything was fine, but turns out the memory card was full and hadn't recorded anything new for weeks. Luckily nothing happened, but lesson learned... always double-check your settings and storage regularly. Better safe than sorry, especially with how crazy traffic can get around here.
