A closer look at car digital video recorders (car DVRs) 

By Eng. Ahmed Saeed Alzood, Chairman, Security Professionals Association (SPA). 

Cars are usually outfitted with many technologies and tools to bring you comfort and enjoyment.

That does not apply to car DVRs, because such mounted video recorders are considered one of the ways for providing protection for car occupants and evidence to security agencies in case of any unforeseen circumstances, auto burglary or vandalism. 

Car DVRs are compact cameras mounted in various places within the vehicle such as the dashboard, the windshield or the rear windshield.

These cameras can record continuously and send videos to the control panel/display screen in the car. The key features that should be known when buying these cameras are as follows: 

• Lens – the lens of car DVRs varies according to the angle of view. It is highly recommended to mount on cameras with a 180-degree lens for better coverage 
• Resolution – it is recommended to mount high resolution cameras (1080p) 
• Speed – the speed of recording of car DVRs should not be less than 20 FPS 
• Battery – it is recommended to connect the cameras to the car’s internal battery to avoid complicated connections inside the cabin 
• Number of mounted cameras – front forward facing camera, internal forward facing camera, internal camera and rear facing camera (to record harassment behind the car) 

There are also additional features, such as: GPS to determine route, speed and geographical location; motion-detected recording so, if the car stops, the DVR records any movement nearby; G sensors – the camera’s sensors function on three axes (X,Y,Z) to calculate acceleration and misuse of the car in case of sudden stop, acceleration, turn or speeding; live video and memory with appropriate capacity and resolution that is sufficient to record for at least one week (depending on the accuracy and speed of the video recording). 

One of the most important reasons why people utilise car DVRs is for the documentation of car accidents, unforeseen circumstances and the provision of protection and surveillance.

Therefore, it is recommended to go to well known companies when mounting car DVRs. 

Car DVRs allow people to video record whatever happens to the car while driving or when it is parked; this helps enhance the security of the car and its occupants, but some people believe that the high price of mounting car DVRs might be a drawback, so they turn to alternatives such as smartphone applications, digital cameras and surveillance devices. 

Car DVRs are considered one of the means of surveillance and personal protection, but the specter of individual and communal privacy breaches is present right at the beginning of the recording process or during it, not to mention fears of publishing these recordings on social media and various websites – which may result in the individual facing penalties in accordance with Article No. 21 of the Law of Combating Information Technology Crimes. 

This reads as follows: “Article 21 hereof prohibits the use of any information network, electronic information system or means of information technology to breach a person’s privacy in cases other than those legally authorised.” 

The Dubai Government has approved a law regulating the publishing and exchange of data in the Emirate of Dubai, which is directed towards data and privacy protection.

The car DVRs’ technology is considered one of the most powerful ways to provide protection against the hazards that might affect individuals and societies, but the applicable laws in the country must be observed and the cameras should be used appropriately and legally.