Managing Dash Cams For Personal Legal Protection

Having a dash cam save a lot of money, stress, and drama after an accident, but you need to know how to use it. They're simple enough to mount and turn on, but there are a few situations where they may not be so simple use. To make sure that you're able to get the information you need or keep your information safe in a dangerous situation after an accident happens, here are a few vital dash cam details to keep in mind.

How Do Dash Cams Work?

Dash cameras have been around for a few decades, but benefit from the higher quality cameras and easier recording/saving features that make smartphones and tablets so convenient. High Definition (HD) is normal now, so don't expect to pay extra for a boast of 720p quality.

The camera should be mounted on the roof, rarely on the dash. Despite the name, the dashboard isn't as stable or as good a vantage point as the ceiling. With a roof-mounted camera, you should be able to get a full, widescreen view of the windshield.

Adding additional cameras is helpful, but not necessary. The front view and rear view are the most important and in that order. Although side-facing cameras can give you more evidence for side-swipes, those accidents are usually the fault of the person hitting you or can be proven by front-facing cameras to tell if you were supposed to be in the possible path of the other car or not.

Side cameras are, however, helpful for recording crimes. With better vantage points, more evidence can be brought against people who would otherwise manage to sneak outside of a main camera's view.

Fast Evidence Delivery For Everyone's Safety

After an accident, don't shout about your dash camera. Some people find it empowering to prove that they have everything on camera, but don't assume that the other party is willing to be peaceful about it.

It's not likely, but possible that the other person involved in the accident will attack or try to take your camera. There are a lot of situational issues and "what if" statements to go with this, but you can avoid the entire problem by calling the police and waiting until they arrive before revealing everything you have.

Do you have evidence that you need to send somewhere else immediately? If you're recording on a phone or other recording device and want to send your information off before the evidence is lost or destroyed, make sure to keep an auto accident attorney's number in your contacts?

Test your video by recording for a few minutes and checking the size of the video. Keep in mind that phone data rates apply, and you'll need either unlimited data or enough data on your plan to text or email the video and/or pictures to an attorney.

The same goes for your dash cam videos. Modern dash cams either have a built-in internal storage that can be downloaded to a computer or phone via USB cable, or they use an SD card (Secure Digital) just like inside smartphones and cameras. This means an extra step for moving the information over, but there are some dash cams with SIM cards that can be used with a cheap cell phone plan.

Contact an auto accident attorney to discuss other ways to stay safe with dash cam evidence as your backup.