Digital camera technology has improved significantly in recent years. Devices that were once prohibitively expensive and difficult to operate have evolved into affordable, user-friendly products.
Dashboard cameras, once a very rare feature seen only in police cruisers, are now a common tool employed by average citizens. Installing a dashboard camera costs money, as does maintaining the camera or storing the video footage. Is it worth the work and financial investment involved?
A dashboard camera protects you after a serious car crash
In a perfect world, the person who caused your car crash would immediately take responsibility for their actions. However, causing a wreck can be a very expensive mistake. If someone doesn’t have very much insurance (or any), they may desperately want to avoid an allocation of fault and the financial liability that comes with such a determination.
They could openly lie to the police at the scene of the crash. If you are a teenager and they are an adult, if you are a woman and they are a man or if any other uneven power dynamic exists between you and the other driver, you may be at a significant disadvantage when it comes to convincing the police to believe you over the other party.
Thankfully, camera footage doesn’t lie. Your dashboard camera can provide conclusive evidence for the police that you were not the one who ran the light or that the other driver had their phone in their hand right before they hit you. The footage from your camera could also help you during an insurance claim or a civil lawsuit against the other driver.
Protecting yourself in case you get into a car crash often involves planning ahead, like installing a dashboard camera. This can help you hold the at-fault driver liable.