Modern cars use a small amount of current even when they are not being used. I moved the little wide angle mirror which i used for keeping an eye on the grandchildren in the back so that i could put put one of those solar panel trickle chargers at the bottom n/s of the windscreen. I then had to move the satnav to make room for the dashcam which i was given for Christmas. What happens in the event of collision and the airbag fires? Will the passenger have a collection of electronics embedded in their head?
Euro:
Modern cars use a small amount of current even when they are not being used. I moved the little wide angle mirror which i used for keeping an eye on the grandchildren in the back so that i could put put one of those solar panel trickle chargers at the bottom n/s of the windscreen. I then had to move the satnav to make room for the dashcam which i was given for Christmas. What happens in the event of collision and the airbag fires? Will the passenger have a collection of electronics embedded in their head?
Modern cars do use a small amount of battery power when not used, but after a short period all the ecus go to sleep and consume very little power and the only thing using power then is the alarm system. A modern car with a decent battery should be able to last several weeks at least of non use with a decent battery without issue.
If you can’t leave the car for a few weeks without use and have a flat battery then you have a current drain somewhere and it needs looking into. I’ve had my dashcams running on permanent live for parking mode and had periods of not using the car for a few days and no issue. I even left my sidelights on twice at work for 10 or more hours and again no issues starting the car.
Now the weather is colder batteries obviously show signs of deterioration much quicker and easier than in the warmer weather.
Also with modern cars if you leave them in a garage and unlocked they will flatten the battery over a period as the electronics don’t seem to go into sleep mode properly when the car is left unlocked.
The crash is more likely to throw the objects like missiles around the car than the airbags going off. Just make sure electronics are routed properly and won’t affect the airbag systems going off in the event of an accident.
My dash cam is hard wired in. When out and about it runs permanently, when parked etc. I turn it off when putting car away in a garage. If you forget it’s got a magic box that shuts it down after 12 hours or battery voltage drops to 12v.
I’ve got wires routed up the A pillar but they are well behind the airbag system and out of the way. I think in an impact the camera will just go forward through the window. It’s fitted unobtrusively at top of windshield. I’ve got a rear one that could hit you, but it’s tiny and weighs absolutely nothing.
You dont want too much clutter and boxes in your window. Otherwise you look like a taxi 