If you do not already have a dashcam in your car you might be curious about whether it is worth fitting one. You may have seen them in other people’s vehicles or seen footage taken by them on the news.
Dashcams have proven themselves to be useful for several reasons. For example:
Helping to show who is to blame for a collision
Police officers and insurance adjusters cannot be certain what happened in a crash unless they happened to be there at the time, which is unlikely. What they do is examine the available evidence and combine it with their knowledge of how crashes tend to happen to give a considered opinion about what occurred.
If they have access to dashcam footage it can take a lot of the guesswork out. They can watch the crash in real time without needing to have been there.
Reducing delays in payouts
The expenses can soon mount up after a crash. You may have medical bills to pay and a damaged car to repair. You may be reluctant to spend on these things if you are unsure how the insurance claim will pan out. The sooner you can get the claim resolved (one way or the other), the sooner you can make appropriate financial decisions. As dashcam footage enables insurance adjusters to see what went on straight away they can resolve your claim more quickly. It can also discourage time-wasting attempts by the other party to try and escape responsibility.
Making a crash less likely in the first place
There will likely always be drivers who do stupid things while at the wheel. Knowing that large amounts of vehicles now carry dashcams may convince some of them to exercise more caution. Even if they do not do so in general, seeing a camera in your vehicle could be enough to put a driver off becoming aggressive with you.
If you are in a crash, seeking legal guidance as to how best to use any dashcam footage will be wise.
