Should I Buy a Motorcycle Dash Cam?

Motorcycle riders face higher accident risks than other motor vehicle occupants because they have fewer safety devices. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fatality rate for motorcyclists is 28 times higher than the rate for passenger vehicle occupants. The public, including jurors, tends to view motorcyclists as risk-takers and sometimes unfairly blames them for accidents — yet other vehicles are often at fault for motorcycle accidents. What can you do to protect yourself and gather invaluable evidence if you’re ever involved in a motorcycle crash? You might consider installing a motorcycle dash cam.

Understanding Dash Cams for Motorcycles

A motorcycle dash cam is a tool that allows you to document the road around you from various angles. These cameras are typically mounted on a motorcycle’s handlebars to capture what happens in front of your bike. If you’re involved in a motorcycle crash, footage from your dash cam can demonstrate what occurred before and during the accident. This can help you prove the other driver’s liability and show that you were not reckless.

Dash Cam Pros and Cons

Before you make a hasty purchase, consider both the pros and cons of attaching a motorcycle dash cam to your bike:

Pros

• Provides strong evidence to help you establish the at-fault driver’s liability
• Helps you challenge false assertions that you caused your accident
• Aids in the claims process to help you resolve your case faster
• Can encourage you to be more aware and engage in safer riding habits
• Protects your bike against vandalism or theft when it’s parked, especially when connected to your smartphone or other device

Cons

• Video quality isn’t always excellent, making it important to choose a high-quality camera
• Low-quality dash cams can have a narrow field of view and miss crucial details
• Low storage capacity and limited battery life require you to frequently charge your dash cam and download its memory to save important footage

How to Choose a Dash Cam for Your Motorcycle

Choosing a high-quality motorcycle dash cam can help you prove the at-fault driver’s liability following a motorcycle crash. To evaluate dash cams, look for the following features:

• High resolution (at a minimum of 1080 pixels) to identify license plates, cars, and road conditions clearly
• A wide-angle lens to capture as many details as possible from your surroundings
• Auto-recording so that the camera begins recording as soon as you turn on your bike
• Long battery life to continuously record without the need to frequently recharge
• All-weather performance and waterproofing to ensure it works regardless of the elements
• Good low-light capabilities to capture events when you ride at night or in tunnels
• Good storage capacity and connection to your phone to back up video in the cloud or on your device
• Stable mounting system to ensure it remains secure as you ride

You might also wish to consider a helmet camera, which is attached to your motorcycle helmet and allows viewers to see what happened from your perspective. It may be worthwhile to install both a dash cam and a helmet camera so that in case of an accident, you have strong evidence to support your claim.

Get Help from the Experienced Attorneys at Ellis & Associates

Dealing with injuries and other losses following a motorcycle accident can be overwhelming. Fighting to prove your claim can add a layer of difficulty for injured victims. When you install a dash cam on your bike, it can help you refute false claims that you were at fault and provide irrefutable evidence of the events that occurred before and during your crash.

The experienced motorcycle accident attorneys at Ellis & Associates can review your footage and other evidence and help you understand your legal options and your claim’s potential value. We thoroughly investigate accidents and gather evidence to build the strongest possible cases for our clients and understand the unique factors involved in motorcycle claims. Call us today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help at 800-MR-ELLIS or send us a message online.