How A Dash Cam Can Help You After A Car Accident
Dash cams are growing popular with each passing day. However, for some Florida drivers, the idea of purchasing a dash cam for their car is something that has never crossed their minds. If you are a Florida driver who has never thought about buying a dash cam for your car, maybe it is time you start thinking of doing so. The footage captured on a dash can be quite beneficial if you are involved in a car accident. Proving liability after a car accident is rarely straightforward. After a car accident, aside from witnesses’ statements and a police report, dash cam footage can help you clarify who is liable for your injuries and damages.
What Is a Dash Cam?
A dash cam is a small camera you mount on your car’s dashboard or windshield. Usually, people purchase dash cams to act as an extra eye. People buy dash cams to protect against vandalism and theft. Also, drivers purchase dash cams to protect themselves in the event of a crash.
Most dash cams will start recording once a vehicle is turned on. However, some can record continuously even when a car is turned off. Depending on the type, a dash cam may record both the events happening inside and outside the vehicle. Also, depending on the dash cam, it may record the front alone or both the front and rear of the car.
Is It Legal To Have a Dash Cam in Your Car in Florida?
In case you are wondering if dash cams are legal, you should know that in Florida, you’re allowed to install a dash cam in your vehicle. However, installing a dash cam in your car is only permitted if the camera does not affect your ability to see your surroundings or drive safely. Also, if you choose to install a dash cam that records audio, everyone being recorded must give consent to surveillance. Breaking this law can lead to serious consequences.
How Can a Dash Cam Help You After a Car Accident?
Dash cam footage can prove very helpful when there is a dispute about liability. With a dash cam, you create a real-time record of the events that unfolded before your accident. Dash cam footage can provide irrefutable evidence of who was at fault for a car accident. Often, dash cam footage comes in handy in turn left on green cases. In such a case, dash cam footage can help you prove that you had the right of way, thus meaning the other driver is liable for your injuries and damages. Dash cam footage can help you show that the other driver turned left on a green light when it was not safe for them to do so. According to Florida law, a motorist is only allowed to turn on a green light if it is safe to do so. Drivers turning left are required by law to yield the right of way to other vehicles.
We recently had a case in Boca on 441 and Glades Road where a dash cam came in handy. Our client was traveling NB on 441 through a green light. A driver made a left turn on a green light (not arrow) to go from SB on 441 to EB on Glades Road. Both drivers claimed they had a “green” light. The police initially did not issue a citation due to conflicting accounts. My client’s dash cam revealed that he, in fact, had the green light AND the right of way. The other driver turned on a green light (not arrow). The turning driver ALWAYS has to yield to the driver going the right of way. Without the dash cam, my client may not have received compensation for his injuries.
Contact a Delray Beach Car Accident Lawyer
At Lyons & Snyder Trial Attorneys, we help car accident victims and families of car accident victims recover the compensation they deserve. To get help with a car accident case, don’t hesitate to contact our Delray Beach car accident lawyers at 954-462-8035.
Source:
nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-dash-cam/
