A Letter from the Founder

Hi! My name is Andrew and I'm the founder of The Dashcam Store™ in Austin, Texas. As an automotive and technology enthusiast, I love everything about dash cams! Originally from a small town in west Texas, I've been living in Austin for almost 15 years now, and I've loved every minute of it. From my early interest in tinkering on cars (probably cultivated from watching my dad tear down and fix the various family cars over the years in our garage back home), I spent about 6 years working as a technician in the automotive industry. I learned as much as I could about the insides of cars and how they worked, and even held the position of team leader before I left that field. After college, I spent about an equal amount of time working as a software engineer on high-tech military/defense projects for a local engineering firm.

Once I had obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a masters degree from Boston University, and worked for years on interesting and cutting-edge engineering projects which taught me so very much, I decided to start my own project which would both fill an unmet niche and could potentially have the power to change the dialog on traffic safety in this country. I truly believe that by bringing more awareness to the sheer number of traffic accidents, injuries, and fatalities that occur every day in this country, we can help open the discussion on how to reduce these numbers. By arming motorists with dashcams, we'll have more dashcam videos, and and by watching dashcam videos, everyone can learn what sorts of events lead to accidents, and more importantly: how to avoid them!

My work and educational background has given me a unique perspective on the dash cam industry, and is one of the leading factors in why The Dashcam Store will continue to innovate with new products and solutions for our customers (such as our very own line of custom Dashcam Installation Kits). But we're learning and growing too... got an idea that you think will help promote safety or ease a pain point as well? We're all ears!

While The Dashcam Store may not be able to compete directly with some of the prices you may see on Amazon or other online marketplaces, we do offer two things that the direct from overseas sellers and most vendors on Amazon cannot: knowledge and customer service. Have you had a chance to check out all of our extensive learning resources and how-to guides? What about our installation photo galleries? We're much more than just a simple seller with a website, we want to educate you as well! Don't want to wait 2-4 weeks for your order? All of our merchandise ships from Texas, so you can expect delivery in 1-4 business days, coast to coast. Have a return or want to exchange the camera? No problem, let us know and we'll have you squared away in under a week. We've heard the horror stories of trying to get a refund or exchange from an overseas vendor. Worried about online ordering from an unknown source? Have a technical support question? We're only a phone call or live chat away. We hope by now you can see the value in dealing with a US-based company.

Scary Statistics

Let's face it, driving is dangerous! Have a look at these U.S. statistics (collected in 2009) in case you had any doubt:

• Motor vehicle accidents: 10.8 Million
• Deaths: 35,900 (almost 100 deaths per day)
• Death Rate per 100,000 Residents: 11

Source: United States Census Bureau - 2012 Report

Automobile accidents are a leading cause of injury and death in the United States! It's a danger that we too often simply just ignore. I feel that it doesn't have to be this way..!

Why Dashcams?

I opened The Dashcam Store with the primary goal of providing in-car video cameras to the U.S. market in order to increase overall driver awareness and road safety in this country. We believe an informed driver is a safer driver. I've definitely noticed myself driving more defensively when using a dash cam in my own vehicle (and now I never drive without one). By viewing the dashcam footage from other drivers, and using your own dash cam, you can understand and avoid certain risks which you may not have been aware of before. And of course, should you be involved in an accident, your dash cam will provide evidence of the truth for you should proof become necessary.

Furthermore, it is my sincere hope that by recording more and more video evidence of what is happening on our roadways, scientists, engineers, and community leaders can form a better picture of where traffic safety improvements can take place.

On behalf of the entire Dashcam Store Team, drive safe out there! -Andrew Aboudaoud Founder & President The Dashcam Store™, based in Austin, TX

Customer Testimonials

Road Safety Tips

Our own observations of many dashcam video accidents have led to the following list of tips. Most of the tips may be common sense, but it doesn't hurt to look over a list such as this periodically.

1. Always, always, always look left and right before proceeding through an intersection when the light just turned green. Red-light runners are a common cause of accidents at intersections caught on dashcam.
2. Don't text and drive! It's as bad as driving impaired (plenty of dashcam video proves it). The text can wait until you are safely stopped.
3. Easy on the gas pedal. We are all guilty of driving too fast at some point in our lives, but it is indeed true that slowing down can buy you a few precious seconds to avoid an accident or stop in time.
4. Always be prepared for things to come out of nowhere. Other cars, deer, children, road debris, all seemingly "appear out of thin air." When they do, don't panic; use smooth steering and brake/gas pedal inputs.
5. Maintain your vehicle regularly. This is to keep you and your loved ones safe, as well as all your other fellow humans who are on the road. There is much to say about vehicle upkeep, but for starters, make sure your brakes work properly and that your tires are in good condition. Also, make sure you properly secure any loads you may be hauling.
6. Relax! If someone cuts you off, let it go. Smile and wave. Perhaps the other person is having the worst day of their lives. Escalating the encounter is a no-win situation. Bobby McFerrin said it best: "Don't worry be happy".

To request additional information, please don't hesitate to contact us. We always give our best effort to respond to inquiries within 1 business day.