As petrolheads, whenever we think of dashcams we picture a Lada racing down Russian streets at Mach 10, or a highway accident where a motorist narrowly avoids a crash. While the internet is oversaturated with these types of videos, restrictions to using them often come as an afterthought. Skoda took a deep dive to figure out dashcam rules and regulations worldwide.
Luckily here in North America, we aren’t limited too much with recording our journeys behind the wheel. In Canada, roads are treated as public space making them fair game; meanwhile, for us in the States, the first-amendment means we can record as we like. While documenting our travel is fair game, road users must still be mindful of the state’s rules and regulations. This isn’t a big worry as the main issues of debate are audio recording and blocking the driver’s field of vision.
Aside from researching dashcam use, Skoda will optimize some of its latest vehicles for using them. From 2021 onwards, the Superb, Kodiaq, Karoq, Scala, and Kamiq models will receive USB-C connectors in common places where cameras are placed. These connectors work to clean up the usual mess of dashcam wires and cables.
While restrictions vary significantly between countries we’re sure you noticed Russia and its seemingly wild set of regulations. It’s no surprise, given the steady stream of dashcam videos we see on social media from the country.
Although Russia is the only country where dashcams are completely unrestricted, there are others that allow them with some red tape involved. Certain areas enforce rules where the driver’s sightline must not be obstructed, and other road user’s faces and license plates need to be blurred before publishing footage.
While dashcams are a great tool in the unfortunate event of an accident, it’s still important to ensure the legality of your setup.