Halfords customers buying in car cameras will now receive a free subscription to the Police Witness reporting service.

One in five motorists involved in a road accident face a rise in their insurance premium as a result of bogus or misleading information from unscrupulous drivers during the claims process.

Halfords automotive manager Stuart Humphreys said: “We believe that the combination of a dash-cam and the Police Witness service offers drivers greater peace of mind and protection on the road.

“Acting as an independent witness should the need arise, they not only guard against fraud but means the shock and stress experienced following an accident isn’t compounded by a biased account of events that can lead to unfair rises in insurance premiums.”

Half of the people surveyed believe that driving standards in general would improve if more vehicles were fitted with cameras and well over a third (39%) said they would feel safer behind the wheel knowing that a dash-cam is on-board to verify events if required.

Psychologist an author Geoff Rolls welcomed the announcement: “Traffic accidents happen so quickly and cause such stress that it’s highly likely the recollections of the people involved will be sketchy - even without taking into account the fact that people naturally interpret things to their own advantage.

“Dash-cams provide a solution to this problem and can even discourage dangerous or inconsiderate driving by making motorists accountable for actions – such as swearing, gesturing and cutting-up other drivers which can lead to road rage.”

The popularity of dash-cams has notably been boosted by the growth in so-called ‘crash for cash’ scams - where innocent motorists are targeted, often by organised gangs, who cause incidents deliberately in order to make fraudulent claims.