Dashcam placement

shera12

You should be fine legally as long as the dashcam doesn’t obstruct your view while driving. Most plug-in units are fine for any car, even if the instructions mention American models. The black and blue lines sound like they’re just guides for placement, as long as the camera sits outside the main wiper sweep, you should be good.

Herzlos

Shedman said:

Herzlos said:

The area swept by the wipers should remain clear. That looks like it'd cause an obstruction. 

I've always fitted mine in the top corner so it's out of the way, and if you're lucky you can hide the cable behind the trim. 

A dashcam can legally intrude up to 40mm into the area swept by the wipers and, if you think about it, it makes sense to do so otherwise on a rainy day there would be limited visibility for the dashcam.   

Fair point, you are correct. 

That's fully within the sweep of the left wiper though, so more than the 40mm intrusion. 

Car_54

Shedman said:

Herzlos said:

The area swept by the wipers should remain clear. That looks like it'd cause an obstruction. 

I've always fitted mine in the top corner so it's out of the way, and if you're lucky you can hide the cable behind the trim. 

A dashcam can legally intrude up to 40mm into the area swept by the wipers and, if you think about it, it makes sense to do so otherwise on a rainy day there would be limited visibility for the dashcam.   

Can you point to the relevant legislatio please?

Shedman

Car_54 said:

Shedman said:

Herzlos said:

The area swept by the wipers should remain clear. That looks like it'd cause an obstruction. 

I've always fitted mine in the top corner so it's out of the way, and if you're lucky you can hide the cable behind the trim. 

A dashcam can legally intrude up to 40mm into the area swept by the wipers and, if you think about it, it makes sense to do so otherwise on a rainy day there would be limited visibility for the dashcam.   

Can you point to the relevant legislatio please?

Regulation 30 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986 No. 1078 as amended)

Relevant words from that Regulation :

"In practice, the annual test will check that items placed in or stuck to the windscreen or surface damage, cracks or discolouration in the windscreen do not seriously obscure the vision of the driver. In order to better define what maybe permissible the windscreen is divided into zones:

• Zone A is a vertical area 290mm wide, centred on the steering wheel and contained within the swept area of the windscreen (this area is 350mm wide on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes);
• Zone B is the remainder of the swept area of the windscreen

For simplicity, surface damage, cracks or discolouration, are simply referred to as damage.

In Zone A, a single damaged area shall be contained within a 10mm diameter circle. A combination of minor damage areas shall not seriously restrict the drivers view. Windscreen stickers, or other obstructions, shall not encroach more than 10mm.

In Zone B, a single damaged area shall be contained within a 40mm diameter circle. Windscreen stickers, or other obstructions, shall not encroach more than 40mm."  (my Bold)

Bigwheels1111

My cam sits behind and slightly to the left of the rear view mirror on passenger side.
Wire goes up into headlining, A length of dental floss is attached to cam and sun visor.
So when suns heat loosens mound it just dangles rather than drop to the floor.

Car_54

Shedman said:

Car_54 said:

Shedman said:

Herzlos said:

The area swept by the wipers should remain clear. That looks like it'd cause an obstruction. 

I've always fitted mine in the top corner so it's out of the way, and if you're lucky you can hide the cable behind the trim. 

A dashcam can legally intrude up to 40mm into the area swept by the wipers and, if you think about it, it makes sense to do so otherwise on a rainy day there would be limited visibility for the dashcam.   

Can you point to the relevant legislatio please?

Regulation 30 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986 No. 1078 as amended)

Relevant words from that Regulation :

"In practice, the annual test will check that items placed in or stuck to the windscreen or surface damage, cracks or discolouration in the windscreen do not seriously obscure the vision of the driver. In order to better define what maybe permissible the windscreen is divided into zones:

• Zone A is a vertical area 290mm wide, centred on the steering wheel and contained within the swept area of the windscreen (this area is 350mm wide on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes);
• Zone B is the remainder of the swept area of the windscreen

For simplicity, surface damage, cracks or discolouration, are simply referred to as damage.

In Zone A, a single damaged area shall be contained within a 10mm diameter circle. A combination of minor damage areas shall not seriously restrict the drivers view. Windscreen stickers, or other obstructions, shall not encroach more than 10mm.

In Zone B, a single damaged area shall be contained within a 40mm diameter circle. Windscreen stickers, or other obstructions, shall not encroach more than 40mm."  (my Bold)

Those words may (or may not) be relevant,  but they are not from the Regulations.

What Regulation 30 actually says is:

"30.—(1)  Every motor vehicle shall be so designed and constructed that the driver thereof while controlling the vehicle can at all times have a full view of the road and traffic ahead of the motor vehicle.

(2)  Instead of complying with the requirement of paragraph (1) a vehicle may comply with Community Directive 77/649, 81/643 [F1, 88/366, 90/630] or, in the case of an agricultural motor vehicle, 79/1073.

(3)  All glass or other transparent material fitted to a motor vehicle shall be maintained in such condition that it does not obscure the vision of the driver while the vehicle is being driven on a road."

So, where does your quote really come from?

facade

The zone thing is from the MOT handbook section 3.2 glass condition. 

Section 3.1 Field of Vision would cover dash cams, and a camera that only obscures the view of the sky would pass MOT with it in place. (And obviously if you can't see it from the driving seat because it is behind the mirror it will pass)

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/3-visibility

I've never seen the 40mm sticker encroachment thing, maybe it is from an MOT guidance circular.

facade

Bigwheels1111 said:

My cam sits behind and slightly to the left of the rear view mirror on passenger side.
Wire goes up into headlining, A length of dental floss is attached to cam and sun visor.
So when suns heat loosens mound it just dangles rather than drop to the floor.

I'd never thought of that, how obvious!

Mine just drops onto the dash top and pulls the wire out of the headlining, I'll look at a safety cord, unless it makes it annoyingly difficult to get a wet finger to the sucker.

I actually keep meaning to try wetting the sucker with glycerin or silicon oil which will never dry out (I read it somewhere years ago) but I haven't remembered yet....

Shedman

Car_54 said:

Shedman said:

Car_54 said:

Shedman said:

Herzlos said:

The area swept by the wipers should remain clear. That looks like it'd cause an obstruction. 

I've always fitted mine in the top corner so it's out of the way, and if you're lucky you can hide the cable behind the trim. 

A dashcam can legally intrude up to 40mm into the area swept by the wipers and, if you think about it, it makes sense to do so otherwise on a rainy day there would be limited visibility for the dashcam.   

Can you point to the relevant legislatio please?

Regulation 30 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986 No. 1078 as amended)

Relevant words from that Regulation :

"In practice, the annual test will check that items placed in or stuck to the windscreen or surface damage, cracks or discolouration in the windscreen do not seriously obscure the vision of the driver. In order to better define what maybe permissible the windscreen is divided into zones:

• Zone A is a vertical area 290mm wide, centred on the steering wheel and contained within the swept area of the windscreen (this area is 350mm wide on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes);
• Zone B is the remainder of the swept area of the windscreen

For simplicity, surface damage, cracks or discolouration, are simply referred to as damage.

In Zone A, a single damaged area shall be contained within a 10mm diameter circle. A combination of minor damage areas shall not seriously restrict the drivers view. Windscreen stickers, or other obstructions, shall not encroach more than 10mm.

In Zone B, a single damaged area shall be contained within a 40mm diameter circle. Windscreen stickers, or other obstructions, shall not encroach more than 40mm."  (my Bold)

Those words may (or may not) be relevant,  but they are not from the Regulations.

What Regulation 30 actually says is:

"30.—(1)  Every motor vehicle shall be so designed and constructed that the driver thereof while controlling the vehicle can at all times have a full view of the road and traffic ahead of the motor vehicle.

(2)  Instead of complying with the requirement of paragraph (1) a vehicle may comply with Community Directive 77/649, 81/643 [F1, 88/366, 90/630] or, in the case of an agricultural motor vehicle, 79/1073.

(3)  All glass or other transparent material fitted to a motor vehicle shall be maintained in such condition that it does not obscure the vision of the driver while the vehicle is being driven on a road."

So, where does your quote really come from?

You're right it wasn't the actual regs I quoted but from a Gov.uk publication (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stickers-or-other-items-in-front-and-rear-windscreens/view-to-the-front-and-windscreen-obscuration) and is the guidance notes.  That guidance does quote the actual regs you state (which I neglected to cut and paste but perhaps should have done) but it then goes onto set out the way that would be interpreted in practice.  It does also say further in the guidance that "Vehicles that do not comply with the above could be construed to be in contravention of the legislation".   Didn't expect to get into a debate about it but was just trying to clarify that it seems to OK to protrude into the wiper area slightly, as most people would surely want their dashcam to be in area that was kept clear.  

Anyway given that just about every dashcam manufacturer seems to quote the 40mm rule in their positioning advice and it seems to be what may be judged as permissible for an MOT, it'll do for me as to what is or isn't acceptable, but up to you to decide on your interpretation of the actual legislation. 

mgfvvc

facade said:

I'd never thought of that, how obvious!

Mine just drops onto the dash top and pulls the wire out of the headlining, I'll look at a safety cord, unless it makes it annoyingly difficult to get a wet finger to the sucker.

I cleaned the sucker on my satnav and the screen behind it with ispopropyl alcohol and it has not come off since. Nothing more elaborate needed