It’s not your imagination – road rage incidents are on the rise throughout the nation, including Florida. According to a recent study, rage incidents have risen by more than 30% since 2020.

While a dash cam might not be able to prevent a road rage incident from happening, you can potentially use video footage collected by your dash cam to prove that you neither initiated nor participated in bad behavior.

Want to learn more about how dash cams can protect you from road rage? Keep reading!

Dash Cams and Road Rage

Classified under the umbrella of reckless driving, penalties for road range include hefty fines and jail time. The most common ways drivers express road rage include:

• Yelling and gesturing aggressively at other drivers
• Tailgating
• Driving erratically
• Illegal passing
• Flashing high beams
• Tapping brakes repeatedly
• Driving on the road’s shoulder
• And in one recent incident, a Miami driver shot at another driver

These driving methods can lead to accidents and injuries that involve you and other innocent drivers. The good news is that dash cams have the potential to capture an angry driver’s actions, and you can use the footage as evidence for insurance claims.

Can Dash Cams Be Used as Evidence?

Many drivers wonder if they can give footage collected by dash cams to insurance companies and police officers, or use it as evidence in a courtroom battle.

In general, you can supply dash cam footage to your insurance company, and the footage can also be used in civil lawsuits to help prove who is at fault for an accident. Just remember that your driving will also be shown as evidence, so if you have a dash cam, it’s a good idea to be on your best behavior.

Other Benefits of Having a Dash Cam

The price of a dash cam can vary from around $30 to close to $1,000, depending on the model you get and how many bells and whistles you prefer.

Attorney Shannon J. Sagan, PA, also known as “The Dash Cam Lawyer,” recommends dash cams for the following benefits:

• Expedite insurance claims: You won’t get a discount from your insurance company for having a dash cam, but the evidence gathered by a dash cam can help expedite an insurance claim and potentially save you from being dropped or your premium going up. 
• Collect evidence: Dash cams collect evidence during an incident, which can be more reliable than eyewitness testimony because it is objective and not subject to memory degradation. 
• Encourage safe driving: Studies have shown that people perform better and act more ethically when they know they’re being watched, and this can translate to dash cam footage.
  If you know that a device is recording your driving, you might be a more conscientious driver. This won’t necessarily allow you to avoid all conflicts with other drivers, but it could help!
• Security: A dash cam could record a vehicle break-in or vandalism incident. Imagine your car helping solve the next big neighborhood crime spree!

Contact an Experienced Florida Accident Attorney

If you’ve been involved in an accident with a driver manifesting symptoms of road rage, contact attorney Shannon J. Sagan, PA, for a free initial consultation at 561-DASHCAM (352-5299).