This is a post off of Reddit from a State Trooper recommending a dash cam. I've been on the fence about buying a dash cam, since I just can't get over how ugly they look. Although as we all know they can save your butt.
Link to Reddit
"I recommend everyone invest in a dash camera. Here's three examples why:
Example 1:
I responded to a crash on a two lane freeway with a Camaro and a Camry. The Camaro had right rear damage, and the Camry had left front damage. I asked the Camaro driver what happened: "I was driving slowly because of traffic, maybe 15mph, when I looked in my mirror and I saw the Camry speeding down the lane. I knew he wouldn't be able to stop before hitting me because his speed was way too fast. Then I got hit."
Camry driver: "I was driving down the lane, doing about 40mph. The lane next to me had more traffic and was doing about 15mph. Out of nowhere, the Camaro made a lane change right in front of me, no signal, no warning. I tried to hit my brakes and swerve out of the way, but I couldn't go anywhere because of the wall on the side. Then I ran into the back of the Camaro.
Back to the Camaro driver. I asked, "How long had you been in this lane before you got hit?"
"Oooh, probably a few minutes..."
"The other driver said you didn't use your turn signal."
"No no, I definitely did. It's still on right now!"
Verdict: Camaro driver was a liar and found at fault.
Example 2:
I was called to a crash at an intersection controlled by a light, Sebring versus an Accord. The Accord had t-boned the Sebring.
Sebring driver: "I was exiting the freeway and going to make a left turn at the light. The light was green and another car ahead of me already went through, so I entered the intersection at about 10mph. I barely saw to my left that the Accord was running the light. The Accord hit my car and spun it around. There was also another guy here who saw it but had to leave. He gave me his name and phone number."
Accord driver: "I was driving straight through a green light at about 40mph. Out of nowhere, the Sebring pulled right in front of me. I hit my brakes but couldn't stop in time."
I called the witness provided by the Sebring driver. The number didn't work. I checked dispatch for witnesses, and there was one, so I called him.
Witness: "The Accord driver was probably going a little bit too fast, but the Accord had the green light. It looked like the Sebring tried to stop before the light, but stopped way too late and end up halfway into the intersection. Then the Accord ran into the Sebring after it stopped."
Verdict: Sebring driver was a liar and found at fault.
Example 3:
I was called to a crash of a brand new Focus vs a couple parked cars and a house.
Focus driver: "I was pulling into the parking lot, going uphill, when my vehicle suddenly started going backwards. I have no idea why. I was probably going 5mph. I hit the brakes but they didn't stop me. I rolled backwards into the driveway behind me." This was a distance of about 100 feet.
I looked at the scene and there was no evidence of braking. I inspected the Focus and both the transmission and the brakes worked fine. Based on the damage, the driver was doing closer to 40 at impact. The Focus had a couple thousand miles on it. So this driver expected me to believe this new car had a problem where it randomly shifted into reverse and simultaneously had a brake failure....as opposed to them getting confused and hitting the gas instead of the brake while they were backing up.
Verdict: Focus driver was a liar and found at fault."
Link to Reddit
"I recommend everyone invest in a dash camera. Here's three examples why:
Example 1:
I responded to a crash on a two lane freeway with a Camaro and a Camry. The Camaro had right rear damage, and the Camry had left front damage. I asked the Camaro driver what happened: "I was driving slowly because of traffic, maybe 15mph, when I looked in my mirror and I saw the Camry speeding down the lane. I knew he wouldn't be able to stop before hitting me because his speed was way too fast. Then I got hit."
Camry driver: "I was driving down the lane, doing about 40mph. The lane next to me had more traffic and was doing about 15mph. Out of nowhere, the Camaro made a lane change right in front of me, no signal, no warning. I tried to hit my brakes and swerve out of the way, but I couldn't go anywhere because of the wall on the side. Then I ran into the back of the Camaro.
Back to the Camaro driver. I asked, "How long had you been in this lane before you got hit?"
"Oooh, probably a few minutes..."
"The other driver said you didn't use your turn signal."
"No no, I definitely did. It's still on right now!"
Verdict: Camaro driver was a liar and found at fault.
Example 2:
I was called to a crash at an intersection controlled by a light, Sebring versus an Accord. The Accord had t-boned the Sebring.
Sebring driver: "I was exiting the freeway and going to make a left turn at the light. The light was green and another car ahead of me already went through, so I entered the intersection at about 10mph. I barely saw to my left that the Accord was running the light. The Accord hit my car and spun it around. There was also another guy here who saw it but had to leave. He gave me his name and phone number."
Accord driver: "I was driving straight through a green light at about 40mph. Out of nowhere, the Sebring pulled right in front of me. I hit my brakes but couldn't stop in time."
I called the witness provided by the Sebring driver. The number didn't work. I checked dispatch for witnesses, and there was one, so I called him.
Witness: "The Accord driver was probably going a little bit too fast, but the Accord had the green light. It looked like the Sebring tried to stop before the light, but stopped way too late and end up halfway into the intersection. Then the Accord ran into the Sebring after it stopped."
Verdict: Sebring driver was a liar and found at fault.
Example 3:
I was called to a crash of a brand new Focus vs a couple parked cars and a house.
Focus driver: "I was pulling into the parking lot, going uphill, when my vehicle suddenly started going backwards. I have no idea why. I was probably going 5mph. I hit the brakes but they didn't stop me. I rolled backwards into the driveway behind me." This was a distance of about 100 feet.
I looked at the scene and there was no evidence of braking. I inspected the Focus and both the transmission and the brakes worked fine. Based on the damage, the driver was doing closer to 40 at impact. The Focus had a couple thousand miles on it. So this driver expected me to believe this new car had a problem where it randomly shifted into reverse and simultaneously had a brake failure....as opposed to them getting confused and hitting the gas instead of the brake while they were backing up.
Verdict: Focus driver was a liar and found at fault."
