Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
Californians who get injured in a car accident will soon have a new tool at their disposal - both in the car and the courtroom.
Effective January 1st of 2011, a state law goes into effect which makes it legal for any driver to install a high-definition video recorder in his own car. The cameras will record continuous video from both the front and rear of the car. They will also record important data during a car accident or incident, including the date and time, GPS coordinates, and videos of aggressive driving behavior.
The idea behind these cameras is to give an objective record of the facts when an accident or incident is contested in court. The police have been using similar cameras in their squad cars for years. They record every traffic stop in case it needs to be used as evidence in a court case. These new, more sophisticated cameras will allow any California resident to have the same access to objective video data for his own car.
When the bill was first proposed, its authors intended these cameras to be used mainly by drivers in commercial fleets, and these drivers will be some of the first to use the new technology. Employers can keep track of how their vehicles are being driven by employees in cases of traffic violations, work performance disputes, or other similar incidents.
While the law passed the California Assembly and Senate with little problem, the American Civil Liberties Union has voiced concern. They argue that the cameras invade the privacy of employees and citizens, and there has been no evidence to prove that they are necessary.
Still, the new law has the support of law enforcement and many citizens. Police argue that the cameras will cause people to drive more safely when they know they could be on camera. Average citizens will have a much more effective tool in court for everything from disputing speeding tickets to determining fault in wrongful death lawsuits. However, drivers using the cameras should be warned: they don't just record the habits of other drivers. They record your driving as well.
Source: californiawatch.org, "Car cameras to record state roadways," Ryan Gabrielson, 21 December 2010
