Dashcams have become increasingly popular because they can capture real-time footage before, during, and after a car crash. If you are considering installing one, you are probably wondering whether it’s legal.
Yes, it’s legal to have a dashcam in Florida as long as it doesn’t obstruct your view of the road and you inform other passengers in your car when the device records audio.
Car accidents can happen in an instant, and disagreements about what occurred are common. If you were injured in a crash and the other party is disputing fault, a Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer can help gather dashcam footage and other evidence to prove liability.
Is It Legal to Use a Dashcam in Florida?
Yes. In general, it is legal to use a dashcam in Florida. There is no state law that specifically prohibits the use of dashcams in private vehicles.
However, if you intend to use one, there are two important caveats to keep in mind:
- Windshield placement: Under Florida law, objects cannot obstruct the driver’s clear view of the road. To ensure compliance, mount your dashcam behind your rearview mirror at the top center of the windshield.
- Audio recording: Florida is a two-party consent state for recording private oral communications. If your dashcam records audio inside your vehicle, you must notify other passengers.
What Are the Benefits of a Dashcam?
While dashcams cannot prevent accidents, they offer many benefits, including:
- Providing evidence of fault: Dashcam footage can capture the moments leading up to a crash, making it easier to determine how the accident occurred and who is at fault.
- Supporting insurance claims: Video evidence may help resolve disputes with insurance companies by corroborating your account of the accident.
- Protecting against false accusations: If another driver claims you caused a collision or committed a traffic violation, dashcam footage may help disprove those allegations.
- Capturing hit–and–run incidents: A dashcam may record a fleeing vehicle’s license plate, make, model, or other identifying details that could help law enforcement track them down.
- Recording dangerous driving behavior: Cameras can document speeding, distracted driving, aggressive driving, or other negligent actions that contribute to an accident.
- Preserving evidence: Physical evidence at an accident scene can disappear quickly. A dashcam can capture road conditions and other relevant evidence before it’s gone.
What Is the Downside of a Dashcam?
While dashcam footage can be valuable evidence in a personal injury case, it can also reveal facts that weaken your claim. For example, it could show that you were speeding, following another vehicle too closely, or otherwise acting negligently when the crash occurred.
In some cases, dashcam footage may give insurance companies evidence to argue that you were partially or even fully at fault for a crash, which could lead to your claim getting minimized or even denied.
For this reason, it’s important to have an experienced car accident lawyer review your dashcam footage before you send it to an insurance company.
What Does a Dashcam Show?
Dashcam recordings may strengthen your claim by helping demonstrate:
- The other driver‘s negligence: Video may show that the other driver was speeding, driving while distracted, running a red light, or following you too closely.
- The timing of the collision: A recording may establish exactly when the crash occurred, which may help investigators reconstruct it.
- Road and weather conditions: Footage may capture heavy rain, poor visibility, standing water, construction zones, or damaged roadways.
- The severity of the impact: The force of a collision shown on video may help explain the extent of vehicle damage and injuries.
- Driver behavior after the accident: A dashcam may record whether you and the other driver stopped and exchanged information, or attempted to leave the scene.
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Should You Give Your Dashcam Footage to the Insurance Company?
No, you should not provide dashcam footage to an insurance company before speaking with a car accident lawyer. Even if another driver clearly caused the accident, an adjuster may argue that the footage shows you were speeding, distracted, or otherwise at fault for the collision, and these arguments could reduce your compensation.
An experienced car accident lawyer can:
- Review the footage before you share it
- Identify evidence that supports your claim
- Evaluate whether additional evidence is needed
- Communicate with the insurance company on your behalf
- Help you avoid mistakes that would affect your expected car accident settlement
What Other Types of Evidence Do You Need?
Dashcam footage is rarely the only type of evidence you need for a car accident claim.
Other useful types may include:
- Traffic crash reports
- Witness statements
- Medical records
- Photos of vehicle damage
- Accident reconstruction reports
- Cell phone records
- Surveillance footage
Talk to a Car Accident Attorney
A dashcam is generally legal to use in Florida and can provide valuable evidence after a car crash. However, simply having video footage does not guarantee a successful claim.
An experienced car accident attorney from Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers can review your dashcam footage, collect other evidence, and help pursue compensation for your injuries and other losses.
Schedule a free consultation to discuss your case with a lawyer.
