By: Lindsey Macon, Personal Injury Attorney Atlanta for Motorcycle, Car and Truck Accident Attorney cases
Atlanta Built-in dashcams are not yet standard equipment on most newly manufactured vehicles sold to members of the public seeking to purchase a new, updated vehicle. However, they are becoming more common as an optional feature on many manufacturers’ higher-end models.
As the year 2024 comes to an end, though, many motor vehicles have aftermarket video in their SUVs, trucks, and cars. Plus, some motorcycles are fitted with cameras, or the rider has added a GoPro or similar recording device.
- Most vehicles still do not come with built-in dashcams as standard equipment. The majority of dashcam users rely on aftermarket devices.
- So, for most consumers, aftermarket dashcams remain the primary option for adding this capability to their vehicles. These can be purchased for a few hundred dollars and have up to 4 working cameras.
- These aftermarket cameras can become a helpful resource for police once they can create a crowdsourcing type of platform whereby a private citizen has captured and accident on a vehicle camera even though not directly involved in the collision. This technology should be in place within the next decade.
- Some current luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW offer built-in dashcam capabilities on certain versions of their top models:
- Almost all 2024 Mercedes models (except the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe) already have built-in dashcam capability.
- BMW offers a “Drive Recorder” system on some sports utility vehicles (like high-end SUVs) with certain optional, upgrade packages.
- Tesla vehicles made after 2020 come with built-in camera recording capabilities when that user inserts a USB drive.
- Some Toyota and Lexus high-end models from 2022-2024 are prewired to accommodate an optional proprietary dashcam system, which helps significantly to eliminate unsightly wires within the vehicle’s interior.
- Mini (owned by BMW) offers dashcam capability on some models like the 2024 Mini Cooper.
- General Motors currently doesn’t offer built-in dashcams but is exploring the available technology options. Neither Ford nor Dodge seem to not have anything “on the drawing board” that has been reported to industry reporters like Car & Driver, Motor Trend, etc.
- So, the clear trend seems to be moving towards more built-in dashcam offerings, but (presently) it’s not yet a widespread standard feature across the auto industry. The holdback seems to be not adding a standard feature for which the manufacturer’s warranty may result in repairs and fixes that could prove to be costly.
So, while built-in dashcams are becoming more common as optional features on some higher-end vehicles, they are not yet standard equipment on most newly manufactured automobiles, SUVs, pickup trucks, or motorcycles.
Some Types of Legal Cases May Benefit from Cameras in All Vehicles
Some Americans will recoil with apprehension about cameras being used in all vehicles. The concept of “Big Brother” having too much information is a major concern for many US citizens. Recent news reports of General Motors secretly collecting location, speed, and other driving data and then reselling this data to auto casualty insurers have led to litigation being undertaken in class action lawsuits.
Aside from that concern, though, once out in public, the expectation of privacy is usually not the same as for activities on your own land or inside your home. Thus, the cars or trucks behind you may have a continuous loop video camera system running that clearly captures their “surroundings” to a certain degree.
This 2024 video was captured on I-85 southbound by a nimble, attentive driver who quickly moved out of the path of a vehicle causing a rear-end collision with other cars in southern Gwinnett County, Georgia. The cause of the wreck is 100% the vehicle in the rear.
In a recent tractor trailer versus passenger car collision on I-285 eastbound in Dunwoody GA crash the virtually brand-new big rig truck had cameras activated that helped the DeKalb County jury see who was at fault. That case went to a jury trial and the award of the jury was in the multi-million-dollar range, even after they attributed some fault to the passenger vehicle driver. This type of trucking accident case shows that in the future, some vehicle crashes will be decided based upon whatever available video footage is available.
For your FREE lawyer consultation, dial our 24-hour toll-free number, 1-855-WARRIOR, or 1-855-927-7467. We can evaluate your injury or wrongful death case and let you know more about your claim for personal injury.
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