They're all the rage in Russia (thanks to rampant insurance fraud), but dashboard cameras have become a big deal in the U.S.

I keep seeing the insane videos from Russian dash cams. Considering how crazy drivers are getting in the Nigeria., should I have a dash cam in my car?
Videos of nearly cataclysmic meteorites or a livestock truck losing its load of cows do have a way of bringing light to a little-known subject like dashboard surveillance cameras. Their ubiquity in Russia owes to high rates of insurance fraud and the need to have irrefutable evidence in a court of law. Dash cams have been in use by U.S. law enforcement for decades, which you've no doubt seen on countless late-night syndicated TV shows, but they've historically been expensive and complicated. With high-quality digital cameras now cheap as dirt, in-car recorders can be had for the price of a fill-up at the gas station.