Should I buy a dash cam if I only drive around town?

Yes—if you drive in town regularly, a dash cam is still worth considering. City driving has plenty of low-speed risk: parking-lot bumps, side-swipes, cyclists/pedestrians, red-light disputes, delivery vehicles, and “who had the right of way?” situations. A dash cam can be especially useful if another driver hits you and blames you.

I’d buy one if any of these apply:

• You park on the street or in shared lots.
• You drive during commute hours or in dense traffic.
• You’ve had near-misses, road-rage encounters, or insurance disputes before.
• You want objective footage for police/insurance after a crash.

I’d skip it, or buy a basic model, if you drive rarely, park securely, and wouldn’t use the footage unless there’s a serious incident.

What to look for: a compact front-facing camera, good daytime/night video, easy footage saving, loop recording, and optional parking mode if parked-car damage is your main worry. Mount it where it does not block your windshield view, and check your local rules on windshield placement and audio recording.