Most people who have spent a hours on YouTube, Tik-Tok, Periscope, and even Instagram have seen viral crash videos. These videos are clearly evident in car crash claims, and most people are becoming familiar with the value of – cam evidence in the event of an auto collision. But are these videos in code or bad evidence? Most viral videos show the drivers participating and distracted driving or engaging with passengers in an unsafe way.
Then there is the other side. What if your crash video acknowledges that you were using your phone while behind the wheel? Should you submit that evidence? Will it help your case even if it exposes that you were breaking one of Ohio’s newest laws? Contact our Ohio car accident lawyers for answers.
Mobile Recording
In general, a mobile recording is one of the best forms of evidence in an accident. Now mobile recording is not exclusive to handheld devices. It can include cellular devices, dashcams, and fixed security cameras on vehicles. Attorneys are often exceptionally pleased when the victim of a car accident has video evidence of the accident taking place.
Some of the reasons why crash videos are seen as inherently good evidence are because they offer an impartial view of the crash, and don’t have emotion tied to the evidence. You don’t have a person saying that they felt scared, so they tensed up, or that they had no idea the driver was present. Crash videos are also more reliable than witnesses who may use emotionally charged words or phrases such as “slammed on their brakes.”
Ohio Laws on Mobile Phone Use While Driving
Earlier this year, Governor Mike DeWine introduced legislation that would make using any handheld device behind-the-wheel a primary traffic offense. The bill is known as Hands-Free, Ohio, and includes texting, talking, and updating or changing GPS programs. The idea is that this bill will prevent or deter distracted driving habits.
This bill is meant to support they already in effect no new cell phone ban. In Ohio, the new cell phone ban went into effect on January 1st, 2020. This bill outlines that any driver participating in any activity not necessary to the operation of the vehicle would be handled as impaired. Essentially, it’s stating that anyone using a phone for any purpose that isn’t specific to the vehicle continuing to operate safely is a distracted driver.
Dashcam Evidence
Dashcam evidence is possibly the best form of video evidence or mobile recording evidence that you can submit as part of a crash claim. You don’t have to worry about the possibility of taking some fault because you were using a mobile device, and you don’t have to worry about turning the camera on when you feel that an accident is unavoidable.
You don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to have a dashcam installed in your car. In fact, you can set up your phone before you start driving to use your phone as a dashcam recording device. With a small amount and a nap, you can have a dashcam every time you get behind the wheel.
Why Are People So Enticed by Crash Videos?
One of the major struggles that have come with crash videos, and even using them as evidence, is posting them publicly. When people post crash videos or videos taken in light or in the sense of humor after a crash, it can devalue the evidence.
Ohio1 – The Help Necessary for Support Your Crash Evidence
If you need help in Toledo, Ohio, don’t hesitate to contact Toledo car accident attorneys. You will need a Toledo attorney that can handle car accident insurance providers, at-fault drivers, a wealth of evidence, and harsh negotiation conditions. It is possible that the evidence obtained for your crash was taken because you were using a phone behind the wheel, but that does not make you explicitly responsible for the accident. But, you may need to explain that you started recording the conditions to capture what was happening and collect that evidence.
In Toledo, Ohio, you can never be too safe when it comes to driving, and when it comes to taking care of insurance claim resolution. Insurance policy providers will never have your best interest in mind if it means money coming out of their pockets. Instead of relying on an insurance provider who will try to start the responsibility of making a payout, rely on an attorney that does have your best interest in mind.