Road Safety Week: The importance of dash and helmet cameras

For Road Safety Week, we are reflecting on the increasing popularity of dash cameras and helmet cameras. Also known as ‘dash cams’, these are cameras that sit on car dashboards to record accidents or reckless drivers. Helmet cameras can also be worn by cyclists and motorcyclists for the same purpose.

These cameras are helping to change the road safety landscape and play a very important role in supporting prosecution and personal injury claims. Heather Kearton-Gee, Chartered Legal Executive in Coodes’ Personal Injury team, explores the use of dash and helmet cameras in accident claims.

Road Safety Week

Today marks the start of Road Safety Week (17^th – 23^rd November) hosted by the road safety charity Brake. Every year, Brake estimates that 1,700 people die on UK roads with another 30,000 receiving serious, life-changing injuries. There has been no significant reduction in these numbers for over a decade. Therefore, this awareness week is all about reminding people of the devastating toll of road crashes. It’s also a time to celebrate the work of people who support families after death or serious injury.

With dash cameras and helmet cameras becoming more common, how is this changing the landscape of road safety?

The benefits of dash cameras and helmet cameras

Dash cameras and helmet cameras are becoming more common on our roads and that can only be a good thing for road safety. It is thought that the increase of dash cams for cars can help deter dangerous driving because drivers are aware that there is a chance they could be caught on camera and reported.

For cyclists and motorcyclists, wearable helmet cameras have also become more popular. At the same time, there has been an increase in people cycling on the roads for leisure or commuting. Initially, helmet cameras were used by cyclists to record their journeys for their own interests. Since then, the footage has become more likely to be shared on social media when dangerous driving is witnessed or encountered. There have been high profile examples of angry exchanges with motorists who possibly have an inherent dislike of cyclists and get caught on camera venting their fury.

The use of footage in prosecution and personal injury claims

These cameras play a very important role in supporting prosecution and personal injury claims. Where a court has to decide who was at fault for a collision, the footage can provide crucial evidence. Additionally, in personal injury claims it can be much easier to prove that the injuries sustained were as a result of the road traffic accident.

In 2023, there was a 30% increase in dash camera and helmet camera footage provided to UK police. About 70% of these submissions of footage resulted in police action, ranging from warnings to penalty points and prosecutions.

In addition to this, some motor insurers offer a preferential premium rate to customers who use a dash camera in their car. Presumably, this is because the footage can be useful in establishing fault in accident claims. For many drivers, there is a sense of increased security in having footage recorded of incidents they become involved in.

As cyclists suffer a disproportionately high injury rate compared to other road users when involved in a road traffic accident, it is easy to see why helmet cameras are increasingly popular. This is, of course, because they lack the protection of being inside a car or a van. If there are no other witnesses, helmet camera footage might be the only evidence showing who was at fault.

Videos of dangerous driving can be uploaded to the National Dash Cam Safety Portal which was introduced in 2018. This portal allows anyone to report dangerous driving to the police.

Road awareness

While these cameras cannot eradicate dangerous driving, they can be useful in determining the facts of an accident when recording a collision, pursuing legal action and/or injury compensation.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a road traffic accident, our Personal Injury team can help. We have successfully won many claims and supported clients across the South West for over 40 years.

For more information, contact Heather Kearton-Gee by emailing heather.kearton-gee@coodes.co.uk or by calling 01326 213036. Alternatively, you can use our online contact form.