What do you do if you record an accident on the dashcam?

[RNHurt]

Recently, a motorcycle passed me on the highway and ended up hitting an SUV in front of me. The motorcycle basically disintegrated and the rider was flipped into the air and landed without moving. It was actually a horrific sight and I've thought about it quite a bit recently.

I saved the video from my MY and even watched it once. In my opinion, the motorcycle driver was not being safe, though I'm not sure who was at fault. Seconds before the accident he was moving at high speed (relative to traffic) and weaving in and out between cars. He was not wearing proper safety gear (windbreaker jacket, no helmet, etc.) though I don't think that is illegal in my state.

My question is, what responsibility (if any) do we have to provide this type of "evidence" to law enforcement? Are there any downsides/problems with doing so? Is there a legal precedent or is it a moral obligation? How would you even submit this "evidence" to law enforcement after the fact? It's very possible that the motorcyclist died at the scene, though I can't find any local news stories about the accident. Does that change the situation?

 

[WarpedOne]

I see no problem if you go to your local police station and simply explain what you have and that it will get deleted soon if they don't need it.

 

[Mike_TV]

At the least, I would copy the video down to my computer and reach out to law enforcement on social media to see if they wanted the footage. LEOs on Twitter and Facebook love gathering pics and video evidence as it makes their jobs easier. You'll get someone to respond quickly and instructions on how to send them the video.

 

[PatinCT]

Offer the footage to the police. Could save the SUV driver a lot of grief.

 

[Laguna M3]

Absolutely offer the footage. If possible, it would have been a good idea to stop at the scene and offer it to law enforcement then and there.

 

[DanDi58]

Recently, a motorcycle passed me on the highway and ended up hitting an SUV in front of me. The motorcycle basically disintegrated and the rider was flipped into the air and landed without moving. It was actually a horrific sight and I've thought about it quite a bit recently.

I saved the video from my MY and even watched it once. In my opinion, the motorcycle driver was not being safe, though I'm not sure who was at fault. Seconds before the accident he was moving at high speed (relative to traffic) and weaving in and out between cars. He was not wearing proper safety gear (windbreaker jacket, no helmet, etc.) though I don't think that is illegal in my state.

My question is, what responsibility (if any) do we have to provide this type of "evidence" to law enforcement? Are there any downsides/problems with doing so? Is there a legal precedent or is it a moral obligation? How would you even submit this "evidence" to law enforcement after the fact? It's very possible that the motorcyclist died at the scene, though I can't find any local news stories about the accident. Does that change the situation?

Good question. I think only you can decide if you have a 'moral' responsibility. Not sure there is a legal one. I do agree that contacting the appropriate police agency and offering it is probably the 'correct' thing to do.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

We witnessed a cyclist that was hit by a truck pulling into a parking lot. We pulled over and waited for the police and paramedics to arrive. We were able to pull up the video and instantly show it to the police and that helped them decide who to issue tickets to. Originally, they believed the truck to be 100% at fault but after they viewed the footage, they could clearly see how the cyclist was flying by the very slow moving vehicle traffic (~5 mph), passing cars on the right at close to 30 mph. Had the cyclist been traveling at a more prudent speed, he would've been able to stop before the truck turned into the parking lot. Ironically, there is a paved bike path about 100 feet away that allows cyclists to ride safely separated from all vehicle traffic and traffic lights.

BTW, I'm a cyclist and have almost been hit by cars on several occasions. All would've been the vehicle's fault. In this accident, it was definitely the cyclist's actions which lead to the accident.

After providing the video to the police, I was contacted by the driver's insurance company and explained the video that I provided.

 

[jezroj]

What is going to make you sleep better at night?

 

[DaveORD]

Or put yourself in the other person's shoes, the one who was driving that SUV that had contact with that motorcycle, and who could possibly benefit from this footage.

 

[BluePUPOC]

I actually just had this occur. A group of teenagers decided to run across the street into free flowing traffic(no idea why). One of the teenagers got hit by the suv behind me and went flying. It was a horrific site to witness in my rear view mirror. I sent an email to the local PD describing the situation and chopped up the 4 clips that showed different angles of what happened to just the 5-10 seconds of necessary footage, and emailed them. They sent me an email the next day thanking me and putting it into the evidence file. I was told the kid is expected to make a full recovery.

 

[richyrich]

I actually just had this occur. A group of teenagers decided to run across the street into free flowing traffic(no idea why). One of the teenagers got hit by the suv behind me and went flying. It was a horrific site to witness in my rear view mirror. I sent an email to the local PD describing the situation and chopped up the 4 clips that showed different angles of what happened to just the 5-10 seconds of necessary footage, and emailed them. They sent me an email the next day thanking me and putting it into the evidence file. I was told the kid is expected to make a full recovery.

Nice move. I think this is the right answer - offer up the footage at least.

 

[Impaler]

Recently, a motorcycle passed me on the highway and ended up hitting an SUV in front of me. The motorcycle basically disintegrated and the rider was flipped into the air and landed without moving. It was actually a horrific sight and I've thought about it quite a bit recently.

I saved the video from my MY and even watched it once. In my opinion, the motorcycle driver was not being safe, though I'm not sure who was at fault. Seconds before the accident he was moving at high speed (relative to traffic) and weaving in and out between cars. He was not wearing proper safety gear (windbreaker jacket, no helmet, etc.) though I don't think that is illegal in my state.

My question is, what responsibility (if any) do we have to provide this type of "evidence" to law enforcement? Are there any downsides/problems with doing so? Is there a legal precedent or is it a moral obligation? How would you even submit this "evidence" to law enforcement after the fact? It's very possible that the motorcyclist died at the scene, though I can't find any local news stories about the accident. Does that change the situation?

I'd share with the local PD.

 

[Cigar Man]

I had something similar happen three years ago, though I was not driving a Tesla. I had a dashcam and it stayed running. While on a twisty mountain road just west of Lake Tahoe, I suddenly saw an old pickup truck literally cartwheeling towards me in the other lane. It came to rest before getting to me, but I had the video. Somebody else called for an ambulance and the state police, but I stayed long enough to give the video to the trooper. He was most appreciative.

 

[TomServo]

You don’t have to make any judgements, just provide the police a copy and let them determine culpability.

 

[imola.zhp]

While we are on the topic, somewhat, what steps does one need to take after something like this occurs?

We don't have our Tesla yet. I understand I need a properly formatted storage device, yadda, yadda, yadda. If everything is set up correctly, what does one do in the vehicle after something happens?

I would guess there is an interaction with the screen to save the footage, is it buried in the UI or is it a quick access icon?

 

[MorrisonHiker]

While we are on the topic, somewhat, what steps does one need to take after something like this occurs?

We don't have our Tesla yet. I understand I need a properly formatted storage device, yadda, yadda, yadda. If everything is set up correctly, what does one do in the vehicle after something happens?

I would guess there is an interaction with the screen to save the footage, is it buried in the UI or is it a quick access icon?

Once you have the storage device installed and it is configured to record, you just tap the dash cam icon to save the 10 most recent minutes of video. You can also use the dash cam viewer to review dash cam footage directly in the car.

 

[DaveORD]

Or if configured, honk your horn...

 

[TLLMRRJ]

You and you dashcam were a witness to an accident. You should absolutely present yourself as such.

My dashcam recorded this on Saturday:

 

[jstjohnz]

A more interesting question perhaps is if you have video of an accident that you were at fault in......

 

[MorrisonHiker]

A more interesting question perhaps is if you have video of an accident that you were at fault in......

See Dashcam and Self Incrimination