For years, motorists have been using dashcams to record events that take place during driving in the event they are involved in an accident. These cameras are vital evidence-gathering tools which can assign liability to a negligent driver or other party. Technological advances have made dashcams more effective in recording high-quality footage that can later be used to seek compensation for the victim’s injuries. If you’ve been the victim of a California automobile accident, Text Kevin Accident Attorneys are ready to advocate for your rights.
360-Degree Views and Other Advancements
Dashcams are no longer limited to a 180-degree field of vision that only records everything going on in the front of the vehicle. These advanced cameras can now record a 360-degree field. This essentially depicts what happens from the viewpoint of someone on the outside looking in through the windshield and into the driver and front-passenger seats.

With windows on either side, dashcams can now record other vehicles that approach from the side as they move into the driver’s blind spots. This is essential in accident cases in which the driver is blamed for failing to check blind spots. Footage can effectively absolve the driver of liability in such an incident and help determine who was really at fault.
The footage itself is also of a much higher quality than when dashcams first became more common. Dashcams can capture real-time, high-definition video that facilitates identification of the make, model, and license plates of vehicles. Higher-quality footage can also detect otherwise difficult to see events, like small objects falling off trucks, which cause accidents.
Dashcam footage can be recorded and uploaded to an easily accessible data cloud. This is helpful for two reasons. First, it helps prevent the accidental erasure or other loss of data after an accident. Second, in the event of a serious accident in which the dashcam is damaged, the cloud preserves the footage that might otherwise have been destroyed.
Cameras can even come equipped with night vision. For years, the absence of night vision technology has made it more challenging to assign fault in certain accidents. Driving at night and in the absence of adequate streetlight was a frustrating hindrance to identifying the responsible driver and demonstrating his or her negligence. As night vision dashcams become more commonplace this will be less of a problem.
The advances of artificial intelligence have inevitably made their way into dashcams as well. Some devices are able to record the user’s vehicle data such as speed, location, and when brakes are applied. These features can help prove that the victim was not at fault, for instance by proving that he or she was not speeding when the accident occurred.
The Role of Dashcams in Car Accident Cases
It should come as no surprise that dashcam footage has been admitted in numerous personal injury trials to determine who caused an accident and just how dangerous the driver’s behavior was. The video recorded by dashcams is generally admissible in civil court and can be used to show:
- That a driver violated traffic laws, for instance by speeding, running a red light, or committing other infractions that led to an accident
- That a driver operated the automobile while drunk, distracted, or using a cell phone
- That a motorist was driving dangerously for the conditions (e.g. by not slowing down during heavy rainfall)
- Details of the accident itself, including the extent of property damage done to a vehicle
But dashcam footage isn’t just useful for showing that another driver was liable. Sometimes there are other parties who can be held responsible for an accident, and a dashcam can provide evidence of their liability. For instance, a construction crew may have negligently failed to warn drivers of an impending lane closure that led to a crash. The dashcam can record exactly how the crew negligently caused the accident.
Dashcams can also be used to defend the actions of the victim from charges that he or she played a role in the accident. In California, personal injury defendants are allowed to argue that the victim was to some degree liable for causing the wreck. As an example, perhaps the defendant ran a stop sign but maybe the victim was also speeding; had the victim not been speeding, the accident might have been less severe or avoided altogether.
An accident victim who is liable for the wreck can still collect damages, but the amount will be reduced by whatever percentage of liability the jury assigns to that person. For instance, perhaps the jury determines that the victim’s damages are worth $100,000. At the same time, the jury decides that the victim was 20% responsible for the wreck. The total amount awarded to the victim will then be reduced by 20%, or $20,000, to $80,000.
We’ve already seen above how dashcams can be used to refute allegations that the victim played a role in his or her own accident. A camera can show either that the driver did nothing wrong or that his or her degree of liability is less than what the defendant argues it should be. In this way, dashcam footage can preserve the rights of victims to the compensation they deserve.
Now, More Than Ever, Dashcams Can Help Your Accident Case
Put simply, a dashcam can provide unbiased, clear evidence of who caused an automobile accident and what degree of liability should be assigned to that driver. It can also be used to defend victims against claims that they shared responsibility for the accident. If you have been injured in a California car crash, let our experienced legal team review all of the evidence in your case and then get to work seeking the damages you need to get your life back on track. Call Text Kevin Accident Attorneys today.