INDIANAPOLIS — As more road rage incidents are reported in central Indiana, experts say they've also seen more drivers turning to technology to help them keep track of what happens on the road.
Josh Glenn, owner of Audio Electronics says his business is seeing more and more car owners contacting them to install dashboard cameras. And he thinks they're worth the investment.
"I probably do 4 to 5 dash cams every two weeks," said Josh Glenn, owner of Audio Electronics.
Dashcams have always been considered an exclusive tool used by police, but their size and affordability makes them an easy tool for any driver to use now.
"They're very small now, Glenn said. "They don't want to obstruct the view of the driver."
He said the demand for these cameras is now at an all-time high.
"The past 2 to 3 years, I’ve seen those numbers double, triple," Glenn said. "With more going on with the road rage in today's world, you know, people just aren't paying attention."
Two weeks ago, a 20-year-old pregnant woman was shot during what police say was a road rage incident in Plainfield.
Because of the shooting, the woman had to birth her child early, at just 29 weeks. The mother has been released from the hospital but her little boy remains in the NICU.
Police say the suspect was driving a small white cargo or delivery van.
"If we would have had a dashboard camera available at that time, we wouldn't have to worry about who the person was that injured her baby," Shamura Caruthers-Spaulding, a mentor to the woman who was shot, said.
"Just to think that this incident could have prevented her from being a mother out of someone not having self-control is really devastating," Spaulding said.
As Plainfield Police continue to ask for tips about the road rage incident, Spaulding said that an extra layer of protection on the road would have possibly put them one step closer to getting justice.
"You know it's hard for people to fess up and stand up and say this is what's right," Spaulding said.
We reached out to Plainfield Police on dash cams and the role they play in solving crimes.
These are valuable tools and help law enforcement because they may capture license plate numbers and other valuable information. However, the most important piece of information is getting somewhere safe and avoiding an altercation.
"You don't want to be around here chasing the cars down while you're on the phone with the cops," Glenn said. "You want to keep yourself safe, so at the end of the day, having that live view of that camera is going to make a world of difference, and you can fall back and let the authorities do what they do best and take care of action."
If you are considering investing in a dashboard camera, having them professionally installed for the best quality is highly recommended.
