Dash Cam Footage: will this help with your injury claim?

If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a road traffic accident (‘RTA’ for short) and are injured as a result, one of the most important factors when it comes to making a successful compensation claim is evidence. The more evidence you have, the easier it will be to establish who is at fault and who is liable to pay out on the claim.

Over the years, one of the key pieces of evidence to support a claim resulting from someone else’s negligence has been the independent witness. Even the most careful drivers are subject to events outside their vehicle that are beyond their control. Witness evidence can mean the difference between winning or losing a claim, but the shock that often sets in following an accident can mean that witness details are sometimes not properly recorded and this vital independent record of the accident is lost.

This is where dash cams can really help. A dash cam – short for dashboard camera, and sometimes referred to as an event data recorder or car digital video recorder – is a compact video camera that is attached to the windscreen inside a car, van or lorry. The dash cam has a very wide angle of view and is designed to constantly record a vehicles journey. Should there be any kind of incident or accident, the video (which constantly over-writes itself after a pre-determined period of time, typically storing around 3 hours of recordings on a removable memory card) can then be saved and used as evidence later on. As well as providing a video recording, many dash cams also record data such as speed, G-forces involved in an accident and accurate GPS location information. Many dash cams can also be configured to record collisions when a vehicle is parked and unoccupied.

Video Evidence

A recent survey by motoring organisation the RAC indicates that there are now almost 3 million dash cam users, double the number from the previous year. With the camera technology continually improving and the devices becoming smaller, cheaper and with more advanced features, using a dash cam as part of a motorist’s normal routine is set to increase even further. Being able to record what happened during an accident can make it easier to establish who is at fault, and an increasing number of insurance companies – who ultimately are the ones paying out on claims – are accepting dash cam video evidence as part of their claims review process, which can help to speed up settlements. Even though the vast majority of dash cams only record the forward direction of travel, they can still capture valuable evidence from side and rear collisions, showing clearly the way the vehicle was being driven at the time and also capturing other parties’ registration details.

One side-effect of fitting a dash cam is that many drivers, knowing that how they are driving is always being recorded, are safer as a result. Consequently, some insurers are offering discounts to insurance premiums for dash cam-equipped vehicles. With the RAC survey also highlighting that two thirds of drivers who had been involved in an accident where fault was subsequently disputed saying that dash cam footage would have been useful, perhaps now is the time to get one fitted to your vehicle.

RTA Injury Claims Advice from Bakers Solicitors

At Bakers, we pride ourselves on our experience in representing claimants who have been injured following a road traffic accident that was not their fault, and helping them to receive compensation that they are properly entitled to. Our professional, friendly personal injury team will give you an honest, free and ‘plain English’ appraisal of your claim and we love delighting our clients when they receive the injury compensation they deserve.


If you would like us to handle your personal injury compensation claim, you can contact us online or by phone on 01252 74460.