Automobile drive recorder

An automobile drive recorder adapted to continuously take an image of a scene around an automobile by using a monitoring camera installed in the automobile, and, if a detection signal indicating an occurrence of an abnormal driving state is output by an abnormal state detection sensor, record image data of the scene for a period with a particular length around the time of the occurrence of the abnormal driving state, together with additional information associated with the driving state, into a record memory as drive record data, the automobile drive recorder comprising:

• a magnetic sensor serving as the abnormal state detection sensor adapted to detect a magnetic field in a close region around the automobile;
• approaching vehicle detection means for detecting an abnormally approaching vehicle by detecting a change at a rate greater than a predetermined value in the signal level of the detection signal output by the magnetic sensor;
• and
• frame rate switching means for, if an abnormally approaching vehicle is detected, switching the a frame rate at which image data is recorded in a record memory from a normal low frame rate to a high frame rate and maintaining the high frame rate for a predetermined period.