Drivers say dash cams are a matter of safety

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - Recent major crashes across the DMV have been caught on cameras - dash cameras.

The rise in the use of dash cameras has given people a new view of some of the region's most serious crashes - ranging from a deadly crash on 295 earlier this week to a tanker trailer crash that shut down 495 last week.

Some people say they obtained these cameras for their own safety.

"I had people aggressively driving around me so I got one of those as my own insurance policy and now that I drive this BMW I just put it in there as a force of habit and it's just worked out well," said dash cam user Harold Smith.

Smith captured the tanker crash on 495 that created havoc for drivers throughout the DMV.

Smith echoes what a lot of people have been saying about dash cams - they're a safety measure.

According to ValuePenguin.com - a leading research database - dash cams can help thwart vandalism and car break-ins.

They can help you avoid paying for wrongfully issued tickets by providing you with visual evidence - and they can also help you save on your insurance by saving you money on your fraud taxes that are also built into premiums.

But after speaking with several drivers, they feel the best part about dash cams is holding other drivers accountable.

Some cars are now being made with built in dash cameras. Teslas actually have eight camera on the outside that help with their self-driving mode.