A petition calling for the legalisation of the use of dashcams in Luxembourg vehicles has reached over 200 signatures.
Petition N°528, submitted by Francois de Waha on 19 July 2015, requested that all Dashcam holders be authorised to use them in their vehicles "during car journeys" whilst "respecting the law regarding the use of captured images".
The subject has recently been a topic of discussion in many countries, due to the various pros and cons involved in the use of dashcams. A dashcam is a small camera which can be fitted onto the inside of a car's dashboard, much like a portable GPS, in order to record video footage whilst driving.
The main benefit of using a dashcam comes into effect in the event of a traffic accident, in which case the footage recorded could be used as proof for a motorist's guilt or blame if there are no eyewitnesses to testify to what happened. In this sense, the relatively low costs of the camera itself make it an inexpensive tool which could potentially also reduce insurance expenses in accidents.
Mr. de Waha emphasised this point in his petition submission, stating: "Embedded dashcams can be very useful in the case of a car accident, for faster reimbursement from insurance as well as to resolve any contradictory views before a Luxembourg court".
However, dashcams are hindered by their potential to disrupt the privacy of the public, by recording people who are unaware of being filmed. In the United States, where dashcams have proven popular, recording public video footage is protected in the First Amendment as anything done in public is not expected to be private and is therefore not protected by privacy laws.
In addition, although dashcams can be useful aids in accidents caused by others or deliberately staged by insurance fraudsters, it has conversely been argued that dashcams may also represent a distraction to their users which may in turn result in further accidents.
The petition has received interest from the Luxembourg population, having gained 211 signatures since it was opened online on 30 July 2015. However, with less than a month to go until it closes, the petition remains a long way from obtaining the 4,500 signatures needed for the topic to be discussed in Parliament. The petition has been overshadowed by others currently collecting signatures, such as N°523 aiming to change the Luxembourgish national flag, which so far comprises 496 signatures; and N°524, concerning the legalisation of cannabis, which currently stands at 1718 signatures.
The petition is available to sign electronically on the Chamber of Deputies website until 10 September 2015.
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