80.4% of M’sian drivers want dash cams mandated in cars: Miros survey

PUTRAJAYA – The majority of Malaysian drivers are supportive of the notion that the dashboard camera (dash cam) should be a standard device for vehicles.

In a survey conducted by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) recently, it was found that 80.4% among the respondents agreed that dash cams should be mandated in cars nationwide.

It also revealed 83.6% of respondents believe dash cams are shaping them to become good drivers and adhere to the road rules.

Additionally, a whopping 99.5% of drivers surveyed supported the use of dash cams as a tool for evidence of any road-related accidents.

“Based on the survey, it’s increasingly clear that dash cams are a must-have item for drivers even though no law at present prohibits or allows it,” said Miros’ head of commercial vehicle unit, safety, and biomechanics research centre, Aqbal Hafeez Ariffin.

The survey was conducted by Aqbal together with his fellow researcher Mohd Syazwan Solah earlier this year to gauge the level of recognition among consumers and understand the emerging trend of dash cam installations in cars.

The key findings of the survey were presented yesterday with the title “The need of dash cams in Malaysia’s road safety landscape: Based on study findings” at the Modern Vehicle Expert Conference co-organised by Miros and Cyber Security Malaysia.

“It is important from the perspective of road safety. For us in Miros, dash cam recordings circulated on social media were also a source of data for research and reference as well as evidence for road crash reconstruction,” said Aqbal.

He said recorded crash and near-miss incidents help researchers reconstruct sub-events and calculate travelling speeds based on the time stamp in the video.

Aqbal added that it will enable reconstruction in vehicle digital forensic investigations, as researchers compile digital evidence for the technical aspects of a road crash case, alongside police photos and videos, witness testimonies, news, and CCTV footage by expressway operators and local authorities.

“This allows us to look at the road environment and human factors,” he said, adding that dash cams offering higher quality resolutions have been affordable in the past couple of years.

The preliminary study, which had 300 respondents, also showed that people aged 30 to 43 were the main consumers, and 36-year-old drivers were the biggest purchasers. 

It is estimated that there are 37 million dash cam users globally and the global market size of such devices was valued at US$2.8 billion (RM13.28 billion) three years ago.

“Based on our study, Asia is the biggest market,” said Aqbal.

On the way forward, he opined that more in-depth discussion should be organised between the insurance industry, consumer groups, police, and the Road Transport Department.

From the survey, he said, a total of 81.8% drivers want insurance companies to reduce the premium in view of dash cam installations. 

“I think we need to discuss whether such gadgets are encouraged or otherwise, as well as the level of acceptance by the insurance industry. 

“In Europe, insurance providers offer premium reductions and competitive packages for those who install cabin cameras in vehicles,” he added.

Meanwhile, Miros has announced a collaboration with CyberSecurity Malaysia for a dash cam safety score card or CamScore rating.

“So far, 40 dash cams in the market have been assessed. A total of three factors are taken into account for this preliminary phase – basic features, advanced features, and advanced driving assistance features.

“The score (out of five) provided will help users to evaluate when purchasing dash cams,” said Vehicle Forensics project manager Zulhaidi Mohd Jawi, who is also the director of vehicle safety and biomechanics of Miros. – The Vibes, November 3, 2022