Dashboard cameras, commonly referred to as dash cams, have skyrocketed in popularity. Even in the last year, sales have grown 20 percent, according to USA Today. Ranging in price between $100 and $400, these simple devices can be used for anything from catching a meteor crossing the night sky, documenting police abuse, and of course, documenting traffic collisions—the sole purpose that most are purchased for.
How Can a Dash Cam Help My Case?
If you were recently involved in a traffic collision and you had a dash cam, great. In many cases, the video evidence captured can certainly be used to prove that you were not at fault. Dash cams are particularly helpful to your cause in the following circumstances:
- When another vehicle merges into your lane in front of you, cutting you off and causing a rear-ender;
- When another vehicle runs a stop sign or stoplight and T-bones you;
- When another vehicle pulls out in front of you from a side road, violating your right of way; and
- In many other crash scenarios.
However, a dash cam only shows part of what happened in some cases, and can actually be used against you.
Your Dash Cam Footage May be Used Against You
Dash cams can hurt your personal injury case in the following ways:
- The dash cam shows that you were speeding at the time of the collision;
- The dash cam can be used to prove that you were distracted. Any screen in the driver’s line of sight is known to cause a distraction. In fact, Black Box My Car (North America’s largest supplier of dash cams) points out that LCD screens are actually illegal in many districts;
- The dash cam footage showed that you were at fault, or seemingly showed that you were at fault.
In terms of the last bullet point, camera footage of the crash may seem to show that you were to blame, but in reality, the other vehicle caused the collision, and that driver’s actions were not shown on screen. For example, you pulled out of a parking lot to make a right turn. The car, unseen in the footage behind you, hits you from behind. It would appear that you did not yield that vehicle the right of way. In fact, however, that driver made an abrupt illegal U-turn as you were pulling out of the parking lot to make your right turn, and hit you from behind in the process.
Call an Experienced Kansas City Traffic Collision Attorney Today
Dashboard cameras can be useful in many cases, but may actually be detrimental to your case in others. Whether you had a dash cam at the time of your collision or not, an experienced personal injury attorney can help. Before discussing compensation with the other party’s insurance company, we urge you to reach out to the Kansas City personal injury attorneys of the Krause & Kinsman Law Firm today.