Get a dashcam

[rjssigns]

KEEP IN MIND
if you ever have an accident that might be construed as your fault, SMASH THE CAMERA first thing
These days police impound your dashcam, the download from your ECU, surrounding cameras from homes and businesses, and if you happen to be at home, the logs from your ALEXA which it turns out has always been listening...

The "flight recorder" in vehicles will hang you in court. A dash cam is icing on the cake. Not far from where I live an idiot speeding in town killed a whole family. Then the lies started until they pulled the data from his car. Forget the fact that he was drunk and high. Almost 90mph in a 35 with no brake application before impact. Case closed right there.

Personally I run dash cams in all my vehicles, even my 9 second street legal truck.

If you don't drive like an idiot, drunk, high or otherwise impaired you have nothing to worry about/

 

[Ian Stewart-Koster]

Reading these horror stories, I'm wondering if that insurance argument attitude is the norm in USA - they want your money but also want to avoid paying when appropriate?

With the few dings I've ever had, the insurance company paid up after asking for a description of what happened.
The end. No arguments any time.

The only times we didn't claim was if the damage was under $1500 and it's easiest to fix it yourself.

 

[netsol]

We have 2 clients with body shops. We generally just barter in these situations

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

We have 2 clients with body shops. We generally just barter in these situations

hummmmm.. this is a good idea!

 

[Moze]

Might want to grab a CPL filter if they make one for your camera. They help quite a bit with cutting down on reflection.

 

[ChaseO]

I have been thinking about getting some dash cams. I had a lady pull out in front of me in my personal truck a couple of months ago, with some sign posts in the bed. The slid forward, dented and scratched my cab, rear door and bedside (as the flew out crashing to the ground) I did not have my "load" secured, so that one was on me. I come back from Christmas break to find that someone cut the catalytic converters off of my other truck. So my shop is going to be getting some cameras too.

 

[chester215]

Last year I was on a local highway pulling a dump trailer and the traffic merged from three lanes down to two.
Well, there is almost always the person that zips past all of the slow traffic and waits to the last inch to merge, forcing their way in if they can.
There was someone trying to do that but I wasn't in the mood to let him in. He was about an inch from hitting my truck and stopped,
so I continued to go in my lane. For a second I forgot I was pulling a trailer that has back wheels that stick out further than the truck.
Well the diamond plate fender and dual tires raked the entire side of his car, sending his rear view mirror into orbit. No damage to the trailer.
Pulled over and called the state police which came and only did a paperwork exchange making a note it was his fault.
(I didn't even get out of the truck)
He tried to claim it was my fault but the note from the cop on the paperwork sealed his insurance increase.
Had a camera but the cop said it was obviously his fault.

 

[Moze]

Last year I was on a local highway pulling a dump trailer and the traffic merged from three lanes down to two.
Well, there is almost always the person that zips past all of the slow traffic and waits to the last inch to merge, forcing their way in if they can.
There was someone trying to do that but I wasn't in the mood to let him in. He was about an inch from hitting my truck and stopped,
so I continued to go in my lane. For a second I forgot I was pulling a trailer that has back wheels that stick out further than the truck.
Well the diamond plate fender and dual tires raked the entire side of his car, sending his rear view mirror into orbit. No damage to the trailer.
Pulled over and called the state police which came and only did a paperwork exchange making a note it was his fault.
(I didn't even get out of the truck)
He tried to claim it was my fault but the note from the cop on the paperwork sealed his insurance increase.
Had a camera but the cop said it was obviously his fault.

This is exactly why I have side cameras. Lots of incidents occur on the sides, not just the front or back of a vehicle.

A few weeks ago I was returning from Austin. The speed limit was 75mph. I was in the slow lane. The other lanes were all occupied. I see a car quickly catching up, easily going 100mph. As he sees there's no where to get through he swerves toward the slow lane and then passes me on the shoulder.

There was no contact but I did check the SD card later and was able to read his license plate. If he had sideswiped me, I would at least have proof. Well worth the cost of the cameras.

 

[Stacey K]

I would be too scared to lie these days. There's so many cameras everywhere...Ring doorbells, security, etc. (not that I was more prone to lying in the 80's before all the cameras)

Reminds me of the Netflix show "American Murder the Family Next Door" (Spoiler Alert) The neighbor has security camera footage of him loading up his truck with what we know now was his families bodies. Plus his own footage of the wife coming home at 2 in the morning. And he confesses to his Dad...such a creepy show to watch. The entire show is based on real life video footage. I watched it 6 months ago and again over the holidays.

Texas have you checked with any businesses for camera footage? Nobody really cares much about an accident...unless it involves murder, which it didn't.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Problem is... no one cares.. it's small potatoes. There is a gas station and hotel but the odds of it showing clearly what happened are next to nil. Those cameras barely make out a shadowy figure robbing the place... let alone traffic on a six-lane road.

 

[Boudica]

Problem is... no one cares.. it's small potatoes. There is a gas station and hotel but the odds of it showing clearly what happened are next to nil. Those cameras barely make out a shadowy figure robbing the place... let alone traffic on a six-lane road.

You could hire Robert to follow you around with his video drone, and record everything around you

 

[BigNate]

... just my 2 cents - If you have a camera and are in an accident, there is advice here to smash the camera and destroy evidence if you feel you may be at fault. PLEASE DO NOT DESTROY THE CAMERA - the charge for willful destruction of evidence will not only be worse, but a jury may be instructed to view all destroyed evidence as if it still existed and was entirely viewed as the most damning possible for the type of evidence that it is (if it was a camera, the assumption is the destroyed evidence was entirely against the party who destroyed it.)

You may get a fine and have to pay damages from an accident, you WILL GO TO JAIL for destruction of evidence.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

... just my 2 cents - If you have a camera and are in an accident, there is advice here to smash the camera and destroy evidence if you feel you may be at fault. PLEASE DO NOT DESTROY THE CAMERA - the charge for willful destruction of evidence will not only be worse, but a jury may be instructed to view all destroyed evidence as if it still existed and was entirely viewed as the most damning possible for the type of evidence that it is (if it was a camera, the assumption is the destroyed evidence was entirely against the party who destroyed it.)

You may get a fine and have to pay damages from an accident, you WILL GO TO JAIL for destruction of evidence.

I think you need to go back to law school...

If I videoed myself committing a crime, and I deleted that before the cops get it... that in and of itself is not a crime. Now.. if it was video owned by someone ELSE that shows me committing a crime, that is destruction of evidence.

 

[BigNate]

hey, that advice comes Steve Lehto, Michigan atty. And from the U.S. code &1519 (most states have almost exact language.... "..destroys...conceals.... in any record..." is very pertinent here) "whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsifies, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object, or influence the investigation.......shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.".... again, this code applies to federal investigations - but bad traffic accidents can always fall under federal jurisdiction (NHTSB sound familiar?)

And FROM TEXAS PENAL CODE: 37.09. Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. (a) A person commits an offence if, knowing that an investigation or official proceeding is pending or in progress, he:

(1) alters, destroys, or conceals any record, document, or thing with intent to impair its verity, legibility, or availability as evidence in the investigation or official proceeding; or
(2)makes, presents, or uses any record, document, or thing with knowledge of its falsity and with intent to affect the course or outcome of the investigation or official proceeding. (okay, 1 is important, if you were in an accident, it is assumed an investigation will ensue so destruction is bad juju)

(c) An offense under subsection (a) or Subsection (d)(1) is a felony of the third degree...

(d) A person commits an offence if the person: (1) knowing that an offence has been committed, alters, destroys, or conceals any record, document, or thing with intent to impair its verity, legibility, or availability as evidence in any subsequent investigation of or official proceeding related to the offense...


So Maybe Texas Signmaker should go back to law school? I really do not care how you wish to proceed with your own accident and investigation. However, it would be a fool who takes action without knowing the consequences. And the advice to destroy images or a camera after one was in an at fault accident is bad. (or at least, if not bad has a huge risk and opens the person up to both local and federal evidence tampering/destruction charges which can carry huge prison times - especially if proof can be found of intent - say like giving advice on a forum for people to destroy evidence.....)

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

When the cops ask what happened to the dash cam footage.... I will say its's the same thing that happened to your body cam footage when yall shot that black guy.

 

[GAC05]

So Maybe Texas Signmaker should go back to law school?

Depending on the school, he may not be able to meet the minimum requirements

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Cameras are dumb. Why is it that only the weirdos chime in wanting them or telling you how many they have? Asking for a friend

 

[GAC05]

Cameras are dumb. Why is it that only the weirdos chime in wanting them or telling you how many they have? Asking for a friend

A few months ago my wife asked me to put one up in the backyard because the dog kept barking in the middle of the night. Turns out we have a pet pig that we were not aware of.
It comes out of the bush between 1 -3 am - roots around the trees, talks to the dog about something (politics most likely) then goes back into the jungle before the sun comes up.

 

[Boudica]

A few months ago my wife asked me to put one up in the backyard because the dog kept barking in the middle of the night. Turns out we have a pet pig that we were not aware of.
It comes out of the bush between 1 -3 am - roots around the trees, talks to the dog about something (politics most likely) then goes back into the jungle before the sun comes up.

 

[Johnny Best]

A pig on Guam, time to dig a hole and get the banana leaves together.