A few years back, I decided that I wanted to start using a dashcam. It seemed like it would be useful for insurance purposes if I were ever in an accident that was not my fault. People aren't always honest and witnesses aren't always readily available. Plus, I figured I might capture something interesting from time to time...other accidents...UFO abductions...whatever.
At first, I tried to do this on the cheap by using an old phone and a dashcam app of which there are several around. This doesn't work as well as you might expect. First, phones get really hot when recording video for long periods of time, especially when up near the dash in the Florida sun. This is not conducive to a long life for the phone and is especially hard on the battery. Secondly, it turns out most dashcam apps aren't all that great. I might have done better if I had paid for one instead of sticking with what I could get for free but then that defeats the point somewhat of trying to do it on the cheap. Finally, you have to do a lot of manual manipulation with regards to starting and stopping the video and turning the phone on and off. In addition, most modern phones no longer include an SD card slot meaning I have to transfer video directly from the phone if I want to save anything. All this is inconvenient to say the least.
Anyway, my oldest daughter got me an actual dashcam a couple of years ago for Christmas. It turns on automatically and starts recording when the card turns on and turns off when the car turns off. It automatically erases older videos to make room for new ones and makes use of easily replaceable microSD cards.
Fortunately, I've never yet had to use it for insurance purposes. I do occasionally catch something interesting from time to time. The aftermath of an accident, some idiot running a stop sign or red light, etc. (no UFO abductions yet though).
The other day, it caught a rather sad site. It was the aftermath of an accident that I must have arrived at minutes after it happened. I passed it as I was on my way to pick up my daughter from school. Fortunately, it does not appear that anyone was hurt (it wasn't THAT sad) but a beautiful classic car bit the dust. I'm not much of a car expert but it looks like a late 50s era Chevy to me (car experts please correct me). Though you really only see the unharmed rear of the car in these stills from the video, the front driver's side was crushed pretty good. I hope the guy who owns this car did the work to restore it himself because then he has a chance of at least doing it again. I can't imagine the cost of paying someone to try and fix that.
I had to pass this accident again on my return trip and you get a better view of the other car. It looks like it was hit pretty hard. I'm not sure exactly whose fault it was. I suspect that the classic car was making a left turn and the other car was coming straight from the other direction and they were both trying to beat the light which had probably already turned yellow. Impatience will get you every time.