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Old 07-17-2013, 11:55 AM   #1
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Dash Cams - Medicine for dealing with Sir Stupid

If you search ebay, you will find a number of dash cams with prices starting at $20 and going up from there. Based on reviews posted to You Tube there are some reasonably decent ones in the $50 range.

For the uninitiated, a dash cam sits on the dash of your vehicle facing the road. It automatically turns on when you start your vehicle. It then continually records a loop of video.

What do you think about these devices? Do you own one? What do you think is a down side to having one?

Derek
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Old 07-17-2013, 12:37 PM   #2
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Good video on car cams here. I don't see one in my future.

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Old 07-17-2013, 02:59 PM   #3
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Well I guess if you had one and ran a red light and T-boned someone you'd want to throw it out the window pretty quick.

They do make for interesting video though and are good for reminding you how many truly stupid drivers there are
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Old 07-17-2013, 05:28 PM   #4
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I believe they it is the law to use them in Russia. This is why there are so many Russian car cam videos on YouTube.
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Old 07-17-2013, 07:45 PM   #5
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I believe they it is the law to use them in Russia. This is why there are so many Russian car cam videos on YouTube.
I wondered about this. There are hours and hours of these crash clips.

I really don't see many down sides to these dash cams. I drive a vehicle the size of a smaller box truck in the city. So often people cut infront leaving almost no space. Some of them hit the brakes after doing their lane change. One of these days somebody is going to leave a space that's too small, and try to pin it on me. Hello Dash Cam!
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Old 07-17-2013, 09:13 PM   #6
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It will still be your fault. Following too close. Go ahead. Try to argue the point. You will lose. You'll be right, but you'll still lose.
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Old 07-17-2013, 10:25 PM   #7
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He won't lose the fight if the car is shown cutting him off and immediately slamming on the brakes. There isn't enough time for him to correct the distance between him and the "new" car in front of him. I never change lanes when cars/trucks are braking but I see people do it all the time. You might have 2-3 car lengths to slow down but someone cuts in front of you and that distance drops to 1/2 a car length and you hit them. That's not your fault. They made an unsafe lane change (and probably didn't signal either).
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Old 07-17-2013, 11:01 PM   #8
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Sure. See you in court...
Reality is that your insurance company will probably settle with his insurance company 50/50. And then your insurance company will raise your rate for an 'at fault accident'.
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Old 07-18-2013, 05:13 AM   #9
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He won't lose the fight if the car is shown cutting him off and immediately slamming on the brakes. There isn't enough time for him to correct the distance between him and the "new" car in front of him. I never change lanes when cars/trucks are braking but I see people do it all the time. You might have 2-3 car lengths to slow down but someone cuts in front of you and that distance drops to 1/2 a car length and you hit them. That's not your fault. They made an unsafe lane change (and probably didn't signal either).
Exactly. The "at fault" is the unsafe lane change. The car's stopping distance is typically shorter than mine, even if I use every ounce of braking power I've got. Its a matter of size and weight. The fact that my stopping distance has been taken away by somebody else doesn't automatically make me at fault. Unsafe lane change is a legitimate charge. Its on the books, and police isssue it under appropriate circumstances.

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Old 07-18-2013, 08:48 AM   #10
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Yes, it's the equivalent to someone pulling out of a side street in front of you. Just because you rear end someone doesn't make it your fault. If you have the video there is very little argument. Usually people that do that don't use turn signals either, so the video would nab them for failure to signal as well.
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Old 07-18-2013, 09:42 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
Well I guess if you had one and ran a red light and T-boned someone you'd want to throw it out the window pretty quick.

They do make for interesting video though and are good for reminding you how many truly stupid drivers there are
This brings up an interesting point. Is there any OBLIGATION to submit the video? I'd be inclined to use it if it works out in my favor.

If we are in an accident in Toronto, we are required to take the vehicle to a reporting center within 24 hours. At the reporting center the accident is documented. The only acceptions are serious injury, property damage, and city buses. This 24 hour timeframe gives you opportunity to review the video and decide how you want to proceed with it. Thoughts?

Derek
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Old 07-18-2013, 11:41 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by chuyler1 View Post
He won't lose the fight if the car is shown cutting him off and immediately slamming on the brakes. There isn't enough time for him to correct the distance between him and the "new" car in front of him. I never change lanes when cars/trucks are braking but I see people do it all the time. You might have 2-3 car lengths to slow down but someone cuts in front of you and that distance drops to 1/2 a car length and you hit them. That's not your fault. They made an unsafe lane change (and probably didn't signal either).
He will lose. Been there, done that. I was pulling my car trailer through town with the race car on it on a 4 lane, center turn, and I was in the left lane. Two businesses back from the light, a lady drove out of the parking lot, across both lanes, and stopped on the turn lane and left lane, because she was at a 45* angle. I hardly had time to touch the brakes at 45. I pushed the hatch of her minivan against the back seat. I had testimony from three shop keepers that were outside talking and saw it all happen, and said she wasn't in front of me a second before I hit her. I was found at fault, following too closely.

A second time, the person I hit said it wasn't my fault, and I still got it. It was on ice, they couldn't move, and I slid over a block at 5 mph before I hit them. Three more accidents happened after, then the sand truck went through a red, and the reporting cop hit the ditch. I got cited for care required, and was screamed at when I mentioned the city workers did much worse than me.

The third time I had a cop pull out right in front of me in winter and smoked him. It was right behind the high school. The principal, vice principal, and another cop all witnessed it, and I still barely got out of it, because I apparently should have been driving slow enough to be able to stop on a dime on ice in case any idiot pulled into the street without looking. Luckily, the other cop talked the one I hit into not being a dick.
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Old 07-18-2013, 12:20 PM   #13
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What happened to the dash cam discussion? And BTW in Russia, people will cause an accident to try to win in a suit/settlement. Thus the proliferation of dash cams there. If they didn't have them there, I would be willing to bet there would not be one decent video of that meteor that came crashing down.
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Old 07-18-2013, 12:33 PM   #14
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Dash cams (and other vehicle data recorders) are a very good idea for a variety of reasons, especially on commercial vehicles which are sometimes targets of insurance scammers because of their required one million dollar liability policies. I say this from the perspective that I expect not to be violating traffic laws myself.
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Old 07-18-2013, 01:40 PM   #15
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I believe they it is the law to use them in Russia. This is why there are so many Russian car cam videos on YouTube.
Not the law, but required by at least some of the insurance companies.
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Old 07-18-2013, 02:00 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Jared J View Post
He will lose. Been there, done that. I was pulling my car trailer through town with the race car on it on a 4 lane, center turn, and I was in the left lane. Two businesses back from the light, a lady drove out of the parking lot, across both lanes, and stopped on the turn lane and left lane, because she was at a 45* angle. I hardly had time to touch the brakes at 45. I pushed the hatch of her minivan against the back seat. I had testimony from three shop keepers that were outside talking and saw it all happen, and said she wasn't in front of me a second before I hit her. I was found at fault, following too closely. .
Did you contest the charges in traffic court?

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Old 07-18-2013, 02:08 PM   #17
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Did you contest the charges in traffic court?

Derek
Yep, hence the testimony.
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Old 07-19-2013, 09:22 AM   #18
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Can anybody suggest any DOWN side do having a dash cam?

If you are at fault, they will probably get you anyway (with or without the cam). Its a deturant against fraud, and the video footage may prove fault against other idiot drivers. Its also nice to be able to provide footage to help the police locate "fail to remain" drivers.
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Old 07-19-2013, 09:29 AM   #19
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Can anybody suggest any DOWN side do having a dash cam?

If you are at fault, they will probably get you anyway (with or without the cam). Its a deturant against fraud, and the video footage may prove fault against other idiot drivers. Its also nice to be able to provide footage to help the police locate "fail to remain" drivers.
Go for it. The only downside I see is the cost and hassle of owning yet another electronic gadget.

I'll look for your videos on YouTube.
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Old 07-19-2013, 09:30 AM   #20
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I dunno man. It really sucks that you were found at fault but it sounds like you needed a better lawyer...or a dash cam to show what happened. Did these eye witnesses show up for your court date? Was the officer who responded to the accident there in court also? A quick accident reconstruction showing you in the left lane, cars traveling at same speed in the right lane (probably blocking her view of you), and then her cutting across and stopping in your lane, could have easily convinced a judge who was at fault.
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