In what is believed to be the first case of its kind, a driver named James Stocks was convicted of dangerous driving thanks to dashcam footage that didn’t come from the usual police car source, but came from one of the increasing number of privately owned dashcams that are being used to reduce insurance premiums and in order to prevent drivers from becoming victims of insurance scams.
A dashcam is a small, forward facing camera that is mounted on the dashboard of the car. The cost of the technology has reduced significantly over recent years, and while these cameras were once considered prohibitively expensive for many drivers, it is not just the reduced cost that is attracting people to use them. Many major insurers offer a reduction in premiums, while some drivers have them installed in order to ensure that they are not victims of so-called flash for cash or other cash for crash schemes.
Cash for crash schemes see rogue drivers intentionally engineering an accident, so that they can claim personal injury and other compensation from the driver. Flash for cash is just one such type of engineered accident, and it sees the rogue driver flashing an unsuspecting driver out from a junction, before quickly driving into the road so that the victim then collides with them.
The use of dashcams are encouraged by insurers, because they can prevent fraudulent claims of this type. The footage can be used to show that the other party did, indeed, flash the driver out, or to prove that they took some other action in order to intentionally cause the crash. With the footage on hand, it is possible for insurers to counter and defend claims, therefore protecting the driver and their insurance premiums.
As the number of dashcam units has increased, so too has the number of clips and files being shared on video sharing sites; many of them including incidents of dangerous and careless driving. Following Mr Stocks’ guilty plea and subsequent case, it is likely that the police and prosecutors will call on the use of privately obtained video footage in the future.
