Top 10 Reasons You Need a Dashcam if You’re Ever in a Car Accident
Mar 29, 2023
Dashcams have been used by law enforcement officials and truck drivers for years. With companies like Uber and Lyft changing the way people get from Point A to Point B, dashcams have become increasingly popular in recent years among rideshare drivers.
Top 10 Reasons You Need a Dashcam if You’re Ever in a Car Accident
But dashcams can also provide a number of benefits for everyday car, truck, and motorcycle drivers – particularly in the event of an accident. Whether it’s a distracted driver, a roadway defect, someone driving under the influence, or a distracted pedestrian that causes your car accident, dashcam footage can help prove liability. Moreover, if you’re injured and have to file a civil claim with Dordulian Law Group’s team of proven car accident lawyers, dashcam footage can help ensure that your cash settlement is maximized.
In the sections below, we will take a look at the Top 10 Reasons Why Car Accident Lawyers Recommend Dashcams. We’ll also review the different types of dashcams available, discuss the pros and cons, and provide information on how to file a civil claim after a car accident injury to ensure you make a complete recovery – physically, emotionally, and financially.
What are the Various Types of Dashcams?
There are three main types of dashcams which can offer specific advantages for drivers:
- Basic dashcams: Typically a small, wide-angle digital video camera which captures the road ahead and can be permanently or temporarily attached to your windshield
- Advanced dashcams: Typically high-definition video devices with GPS enabling, these cameras can upload footage directly to a cloud storage system and then connect to your smartphone
- Interior/exterior or factory installed dashcams: This type of dashcam often utilizes two cameras – one side facing the windshield and the other side facing the interior of the vehicle – which allows drivers to monitor the interior and exterior when traveling
Let’s review the basic pros and cons of each type of dashcam.
– Basic Dashcams
Pros:
- Affordability
- Easy setup/install process
- Typically a “set it and forget it” function which means the camera records when the car starts
- Constantly record video over a loop
- Removable storage
Cons:
- Only able to record exterior/front-facing footage (no interior view)
- No GPS or other advanced features
- No audio recording
- Resolution of images not as high when compared to advanced models
– Advanced Dashcams
Pros:
- GPS tagging
- Audio recording
- Speed sensors
- UPS (uninterruptible power supplies)
- Accelerometers
- High-definition resolution for better recognition of other drivers (facial expressions, vehicle license plates, etc.)
- Timestamp preserves video and data when a crash occurs (which can be immediately downloaded to your phone after an accident)
- Can be configured to monitor your parked vehicle
Cons:
- Only able to record exterior/front-facing footage (no interior view)
- More expensive than basic model
– Interior/Exterior Dashcams
Pros:
- Captures interior and exterior of your vehicle (which can be helpful for monitoring crashes, thieves, children inside)
- Advanced security features
- Ability to monitor teenage driver behavior
- Extensive crash preservation data
- Has all of the benefits available on an advanced dashcam
Cons:
- Most expensive model
- May only be available through a high-end car manufacturer
Whether your priority is security, monitoring a teenage driver, or reviewing crash footage, the available features will help determine which type of dashcam is best for you. Dashcams typically range between $80 and $400, depending on the types of features you choose.
How Can a Dashcam Help Your Car Accident Claim?
We’ll review the Top 10 Benefits of Dashcams below, but perhaps the most important reason to invest in a dashcam – particularly in California where motor vehicle accidents are unfortunately all-too-common – is the advantage you’ll have if you need to file a car crash injury claim.
For starters, dashcams provide objective, firsthand evidence of liability whenever a car accident occurs. This can protect you from inaccurate accusations by other driver and also ensure that you aren’t taken advantage of by a fraudulent insurance claim filed by an at-fault party.
Additionally, dashcams can be helpful in the event of an incorrect police report. With dashcam footage, the cause of a car accident (and therefore where liability falls) is clearly available if you proceed with filing a lawsuit for damages after suffering an injury.
Unfortunately, most car accident claims involve disputed liability. While an at-fault driver may be apologetic and assume responsibility at the scene of the crash, it’s quite common for that same person to file a claim with his or her insurance company the very next day which places the blame squarely on you. With a dashcam, you’re protected from any nefarious activity on the part of at-fault drivers, insurance companies/adjusters, and even opposing counsel.
Top 10 Benefits of Dashcams
While dashcams can provide invaluable evidence that helps prove your car accident claim, there are a number of other advantages to consider.
Top 10 Reasons Why Car Accident Lawyers Recommend Dashcams
- Parking accidents and theft: Returning to your car to find that it’s been hit while parked or even vandalized can be extremely frustrating. Additionally, vehicle theft is on the rise in California, and dashcams can help reduce all of these incidents.
- Discounts on insurance premiums: Considered a security device, a dashcam allows drivers to take advantage of savings on car insurance premiums. In fact, some car insurance providers offer a discount of up to 15% for vehicles equipped with dashcams.
- Contest insurance fraud: Staged car accidents are a common occurrence nationwide, with California seeing a number of incidents in recent years. A dashcam can protect you from scams involving staged car and pedestrian crashes.
- Monitor kids: Parents have tough jobs, and keeping track of kids in the backseat of a vehicle while driving is no easy feat. When an incident between kids requiring disciplinary action occurs, dashcam footage can help parents make informed decisions.
- Monitor teenage drivers: Teenage drivers are the most likely of demographics to be involved in serious car accidents leading to injuries. Dashcams give parents peace of mind by allowing them to monitor their teens’ driving behaviors. Additionally, studies have shown that having dashcams can help teenagers practice safer driving habits.
- Record/Re-live scenery from road trips: A cross-country road trip can be an adventure worth reliving. Dashcam footage can provide you with memories of the exterior landscape as well as the antics inside the vehicle.
- Challenge a traffic ticket: Ever been pulled over without breaking any laws? Dashcam footage has helped countless drivers contest inaccurate or flat out wrong traffic tickets and citations. And if you ever receive a parking ticket before your meter expires, dashcam footage can also prove to be invaluable evidence.
- Added safety features: Features such as lane departure warnings and collision alerts are available with most dashcam models. Advanced models with a second camera facing backward with a wide field of vision can allow you to see if a car is in your blind spot. Some models also allow you to use a split screen to watch the traffic behind you or even detect if a car is approaching quickly and alert you to an oncoming reckless driver.
- Record car accidents: As stated earlier, if you’re ever involved in an unfortunate car accident, dashcam footage can help provide an accurate window into how the crash occurred. Despite how cautious you may be behind the wheel, a distracted or drunk driver can leave you injured without warning. Dashcam footage can be an essential part of recovering the financial compensation you deserve.
- Provide evidence for a car accident injury claim: When you file your car accident injury claim with Dordulian Law Group (DLG), dashcam evidence can not only help prove your case, but it can also help expedite your cash settlement. Having such straightforward and convincing evidence means that our car accident lawyers can present a demand for maximum financial compensation immediately, often without having to do an extensive investigation.
Injured in a Car Accident? Get the Financial Compensation You Deserve
Car accidents occur every day for a variety of reasons. When you’re injured due to someone else’s negligence, you have the right to file a civil claim seeking to recover various damages:
- Pain and suffering
- Hospital bills
- Medical care expenses (past and future)
- Punitive damages
- Emotional trauma
- Lost wages/reduced future earning capacity
- Diminished quality of life
Rather than taking on a powerful insurance corporation alone, filing a civil lawsuit with DLG after a car accident injury can help ensure that you recover the maximized cash settlement you truly deserve.
In fact, a study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) confirmed the following statistics in personal injury claims handled by private attorneys:
- Settlements for injured claimants were 40% higher when they had secured private legal representation.
- The average insurance payout was 3.5 times higher for injured victims who hired private attorneys (when compared to those representing themselves).
- 85% of all money paid by insurance companies for bodily injuries is received by victims who have secured representation from a private personal injury attorney.
At DLG, we fight aggressively to ensure you get the maximum financial compensation you need for a full and speedy recovery. With more than $100,000,000.00 in settlements and verdicts obtained on behalf of personal injury victims, we offer clients confidence, peace of mind, and excellence throughout every step of the legal process.
Contact Our Los Angeles, California, Car Accident Attorneys for a Free Consultation
With DLG, your car accident injury consultation is always free, confidential, and without any obligation. We’ll review the facts of your case and provide you with all available legal options to ensure your rights are protected and we may pursue a maximum financial damages award on your behalf. We serve drivers and passengers injured in car accidents throughout California as well as the United States.
Ready to file a claim and pursue justice through a financial damages award? Our expert attorneys are available online or by phone now.
Contact DLG today by calling 866-GO-SEE-SAM. Founded by former Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County, Sam Dordulian, DLG provides a team of personal injury lawyers with unparalleled experience, skills, and results. For over 25 years, Sam Dordulian has been helping injured victims secure justice through maximized cash settlements and verdicts. We’re standing by 24/7 to help you in the event of an unfortunate car accident injury.
