For any driver who has ever had a claim challenged and not had a dash cam to support their side of the story, you will appreciate how frustrating and time consuming dealing with the claim can become.
Dash cams are designed to capture continuous high quality recording of speed, braking and collision G-forces. Many cameras have a 170 degree lens which digitally records the drivers view onto SD media cards, providing court admissible evidence and protection against fraudulent claims and falsely accused driving offences. The only time the Dash Cam information is accessed is in the event of an accident/claim and only for that moment in time; this is very different from Telematics that monitor driver behaviour constantly.
- First hand evidence of the events surrounding a claim helps to protect drivers from losing their no claims bonus if there is a disagreement over who was at fault.
- Helps to prevent and combat insurance fraud and false claims which result in the increase of insurance premiums to cover the cost of paying out for fraudulent damages or injuries.
- The recorded footage can sometimes unintentionally capture unusual or amazing events such as those seen below:
Case Studies
The below videos are great examples where insurers would have settled claims in favour of the third party but because of this camera the insurer recognised they were not at fault.
In the above footage, a third party cuts in front of the Smartwitness protected driver from a slip road. The driver has no opportunity to avoid a collision. In these circumstances, without the supporting footage from the camera, the driver would have likely been held responsible for the accident due to the nature of the collision. The third party alleged that the driver increased speed to prevent him joining from the slip road which would result in a fault claim against the lorry driver; the footage proves that the third parties hesitancy is to blame for the accident. A fault claim would affect the no claims discount available and would drastically increase the premium payable at renewal on average by 20%.
The above footage shows a collision on a blind bend, where a biker inadvertently crosses the incoming lane and into the path of a lorry, loses control of his bike and subsequently collides with the driver. The lorry driver has no opportunity to avoid the collision, however without the footage provided from the Smartwitness camera the claim would have been difficult to allocate. In most instances involving motorbikes, claims are settled in favour of the biker; the accusation was that the lorry crossed the centre line at speed and that the biker lost control as manoeuvred to avoid him. Through no fault of his own, the driver in the footage was arrested at the scene and risked losing his job and licence as a result of the allegations. He would have faced dangerous driving convictions, and a fault claim, both of which would increase his premium dramatically at renewal had the footage not been available to prove his innocence.