Parliament backs dash cam awareness drive

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Dash cams moved up the agenda yesterday, as Parliament approved an awareness drive urging motorists to install them.

No permit is required, but privacy rules still bind. Tabled by MP Maryam Al Dhaen, the motion asks the government, through the relevant authority, to run a campaign encouraging drivers to fit dashboard cameras.

Legal bar

Interior Ministry representatives told MPs there is no legal bar on installing dash cams or filming the road, provided filming does not breach people’s privacy and footage is not posted on social media.

Drivers do not need prior approval from the General Directorate of Traffic, and the ministry said the first phase should centre on awareness and encouragement.

During the debate, Maryam Al Dhaen said dash cams would help when crashes occur without witnesses or roadside cameras.

She noted that some units have motion detection that can alert drivers to movement inside a vehicle, citing recent concerns about children left on buses.

She added that basic models sell for about BD20, with higher-spec units around BD50.

Disputes

MP Mohammed Al Olaiwi said dash-cam footage can aid hit-and-run cases, help settle disputes over fault, and record thefts and travel routes.

“It gives security services usable evidence when a driver denies causing a crash,” he told the chamber.

The Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee had earlier recommended the proposal, citing clear public-interest grounds.