At this time, a dash camera car insurance discount is not offered in the U.S.

However, there are indirect benefits that can affect your premium, which in turn helps keep your car insurance rates down. While merely owning a dash cam may not lower your car insurance rates, the footage that the camera provides may turn out to be invaluable in certain situations -

• Have a record of your accident

Drivers often have completely different memories and descriptions of an accident. With video proof that you weren’t the driver responsible for a car crash you can save yourself from being found at fault by a car insurance company -- and receiving the higher auto insurance rates that go with that finding.

Your dash cam footage can also expedite your claim, as it may prevent you from having drawn-out discussions with insurance companies about who was at fault.

• Get out of a ticket

If you’re stopped for a traffic violation you didn’t commit, offer up your dash cam footage to the law enforcement officer before the ticket is written. If the officer won’t watch it, bring the footage to court to contest the ticket.

• Help fight insurance fraud

If you have a feeling the accident you were in, or just witnessed, may have been a “crash for cash,” turn over your dash cam footage to the insurance companies involved, or to the state insurance fraud unit, to investigate. Catching a fraudster in a staged accident, can indirectly lower your rates.

• Make you a better driver

Dancers look in the mirror to correct their technique, athletes watch video of their previous games to improve their play, and you can review your daily driving footage to become a better driver. Reviewing how you drove in the last week can help you see ways to correct driving mistakes, such as braking too hard or switching lanes abruptly.

Being a better driver should lead to a good driving record, which should lead to you obtaining (or keeping) a good driver discount. A good driver discount is one of the best car insurance discounts to have since it can be up to 25 percent and typically extends to most of your auto coverages.

• Review your teenager’s driving skills

Drivers under the age of 25 have some of the highest car insurance rates due to their lack of experience behind the wheel and tendency to crash and cause claims. Anything you can do to keep your young driver from getting in an accident or from getting a ticket -- either of which is bound to raise your already high rates into the stratosphere -- is well worth the effort.

Set up a regular time to review the dash cam footage and see what your child can do better and take your teen out to practice those skills.

• Have an eye on your unattended vehicle

Most dash cameras have an option that allows you to turn it on standby that permits the camera only to turn on if it feels motion in or around the car. So, if someone breaks into your car or hits your parked car and takes off, you may be able to review the dash cam footage and find the individual responsible.

If you can’t find the person on your own, then you can hand the footage over to your insurance company to prove how the damage was done (again might keep your rates low by keeping you from being found at fault for an incident) and also to the police to see if the culprit can be located and held accountable.

• Capture unexpected events

You may not catch something as astonishing as meteors raining down like Russian dash cam owners captured a few years back; however, you may catch a deer darting out in the road causing your accident, a rockslide that damages your car, or neighbor’s tree that falls on your car during a storm. With that footage in hand, you can show your car insurance company what brought about your claim and may save yourself from a surcharge.

Use GPS to instantly locate anything that matters to you. Get the instant answers and peace of mind you need -- all in real time.

GPS vehicle trackers are designed to allow vehicle owners to track the location of your property over a cellular network, ensuring that the updates are accurate and frequent. These GPS vehicle trackers provide real-time car tracking for individual vehicles.

Various features offered by these devices include to-the-minute speed and location details, programmable text and email alerts about your vehicles, and customizable programming to suit your individual needs.

Types & Sources

In addition to GPS tracking devices you can purchase, there are insurance companies that offer Trackers as part of their safe driving programs and they can lower your rates for auto insurance.

Not all cost are the same

Replacement cost coverage pays to repair your home or replace your property at current costs. For instance, say you bought a couch 10 years ago and paid $1,000 for it. If it’s destroyed in a fire, a replacement cost policy will pay you enough to buy a new couch like your old one, even if the cost is more than what you originally paid.

Actual cash value coverage pays replacement cost minus depreciation. Depreciation is a decrease in value because of wear and tear or age. For example, if your 10-year-old couch is destroyed in a fire, an actual cash value policy will pay you the value of a 10-year-old, used couch. It won’t pay to replace it with a new couch like the one you had.

HO - A, Basic Named Perils Policy

The HO - A Home Policy is the most basic and simple home insurance protection. It is the equivalent to the HO1 policy outside of Texas. The HOA policy will only protect you from 10 specific perils. (A peril is an event or disaster that causes a loss or damage to your home or property. A few of the most common perils are fire, theft, wind, and hail.) If something happens to your home other than these ten perils, you are not covered under the HO - A. The ten perils are:

• Fire or Lightning
• Windstorm or Hail
• Explosion
• Riot or Civil Commotion
• Aircraft
• Vehicles (unless caused by the insured)
• Smoke
• Vandalism or Malicious Mischief
• Theft (limit of liability on HOA is usually $1,000)
• Volcanic Eruption

HO - A+, Broad Named Perils Policy

The HOA+ Home Policy provides broader coverage than the HO -A policy. It is equivalent to the HO2 policy in most states. Like the HO -A, the HO -A+ still lists every peril you are protected from, but the list adds six more perils. This protection covers your dwelling and your personal property. The sixteen perils are:

• Fire or Lightning
• Windstorm or Hail
• Explosion
• Riot or Civil Commotion
• Aircraft
• Vehicles (unless caused by the insured)
• Smoke
• Vandalism or Malicious Mischief
• Theft (limit of liability on HOA is usually $1,000)
• Volcanic Eruption
• Falling Objects
• Weight of Ice, Snow, or Sleet
• Accidental Discharge or Overflow of Water or Stream
• Sudden & Accidental Tearing Apart, Cracking, Burning, or Bulging
• Freezing
• Sudden & Accidental Damage from Artificially Generated Electric Current

HO - B, Basic Open Perils Policy

The HO - B, Home Policy is referred to as an open perils policy. That means instead of specifically listing the only perils you are protected from like the HO - A or the HO - A+, the HO - B lists the perils your policy will not cover. If a peril isn't listed as being excluded, your home is protected. HO - B home protection is much broader than HO - A or HO - A+ coverage. This open perils coverage only applies to the home. The HO - B is most similar to the HO 3 policy, but is slightly better because it typically includes additional water damage protection that an HO3 doesn't. With the HO - B, your contents are protected from the same 16 perils that are listed in the HO - A+ policy. The exclusions to the dwelling protection are listed below:

• Earth Movement
• Ordinance or Law (some coverage may be provided in your policy)
• Water Damage (some coverage provided in your HOB policy)
• Power Failure
• Neglect
• War
• Nuclear Hazard
• Intentional Loss
• Government Action
• Mechanical Breakdown
• Collapse (some coverage may be provided in your policy)
• Mold, Fungus, or Wet Rot (some coverage may be provided in your policy)
• Smog, Rust, & Corrosion
• Smoke from Agricultural Smudging & Industrial Operations
• Dispersal, Discharge, Seepage of Pollutants
• Animals own by Insured
• Birds, Vermin, Rodents, Insects
• Wear & Tear, Deterioration
• Settling, Shrinking, Bulging, or Expanding (of bulkheads, foundations, pavement, patios, footings, floors, roofs, ceilings)

If something happens to your home that is not specifically listed as one of the above exclusions, it is covered under the HOB policy. The HOA+ and the HOB are the two most common Texas home insurance policies.

HO - C, Full Open Perils Policy

The HO - C Home Policy is full open perils on both the dwelling and contents. This means that your home is covered for anything and everything that could possibly happen to it, minus the same exclusions listed above in the HO - B policy. The only significant difference between the HO - C and the HO - B is that the HO - C will cover your contents for open perils, while the HO - B covers your contents for the 16 perils listed above in the HO - A+ policy.

Be careful, some homeowners who have paid off their mortgages choose to drop their homeowners insurance to save some money. Saving money is Good. Suffering a major loss to your paid-off home and not having insurance to cover your loss is Bad. Taking on another mortgage to cover your loss could also be Bad.