Car accidents are no exception. Car accident witnesses can rely on dash cameras to locate valuable evidence in the event of a collision. However, any motorist considering installing a dashcam in their vehicle should be aware that while these devices might be beneficial, they can also be harmful in a collision.
A personal injury lawyer in Ohio can leverage the dashcam footage to help you recoup the total amount that you deserve if you are found to have not caused the accident.
Ohio’s Dash Cam Law
In Ohio, drivers are allowed to install dash cams in their vehicles. Their only limitation is that they cannot be mounted on an automobile’s windshield. You can also mount dash cams anywhere else in the car, whether it be on the dashboard, behind the back-view mirror, or anywhere else.
Dashcams can record video and audio inside and outside a vehicle if they aren’t mounted directly on the windscreen. In Ohio, wiretapping regulations allow one-party consent, meaning anyone can record a conversation if one of them agrees. Therefore, drivers are not required to inform their passengers if they are recording audio or are wearing a dashcam.
The Use of Dash Cams in Personal Injury Cases
Video footage is always the most substantial evidence to show that a driver was irresponsible and caused a crash. As video footage provides a more accurate and objective account of what happened, it outweighs witness testimony.
Consumer Reports indicate that insurance companies and other drivers consider dashcam footage valuable. Even if a witness swears the accident happened one way, judges, juries, and insurance companies will take it more seriously if it proves differently.
Dashcams can negatively affect personal injury cases
Although dash cams can be highly beneficial to a personal injury case, they can also be highly detrimental. If you have a dashcam and cause an accident due to negligence, the dashcam will record it as if you were not at fault. If the other side sees or learns about your dashcam, they can ask their personal injury lawyer fort worth tx to retrieve the tape, and they will most likely succeed.
The dashcam may catch you running a red light, texting, or otherwise being inattentive while driving. Dashcams’ biggest flaw is also their most powerful feature. The footage presents what happened in very vivid detail, regardless of whether you held the blame or not.
