Cam footeage and the law.

[Tharg2007]

I've been looking at some of the cam footage and was wondering, can the footage be used to report dangerous driving or motoring offenses?
Who would be the appropriate authority to send footage to?
Would it need to be a serious offense for anyone to consider taking action?
Has anyone successfully submitted cam footage as evidence against a motorist?

Can the footage be relied on legally though? there is no distance measurement or speed measurement and even placement of vehicles can seem different from different angles.

I'm assuming the only real possibilities where the footage can be used as some kind of evidence is:
RTAs
Virbal/physical assaults

other than the legal side of things the footage is great for youtube etc and to embarrass bad/discourteous drivers

 

[Arch]

I think it's a grey area. My assumption would be (based purely on stuff I've heard here, and common sense, so that'll be wrong for a start...) that footage would be useful in cases where it backed up a qualitative statement - esp a one word against the other situation - he pulled out right in front of me, he swerved across me, etc. If there was any quantitative issue (speed, exact distance etc), it could be called into question, not being calibrated, as you say.

In my ideal world then, I'd say that it might not be so legally useful in a case of "he was too fast, or too close" (unless the offence was extremely clear), but ought to be in a case where, oh, for example, a silver Volvo waited until a cyclist was right upon them and then turned across their path casuing them to T-bone it... However, as Bollo will be able to tell you, I gather the police weren't interested (but it did help in the pursuit of compensation by insurers)

 

[Tharg2007]

i wonder if they would be interested for something more clear cut, like footage of someone in their car on the phone, their face , their car , their plate all in motion? i bet they would want the money for the fine

 

[mcd]

there is no distance measurement or speed measurement and even placement of vehicles can seem different from different angles.

There might be no explicit display, but it is possible to get an approximation of speed by seeing how long it takes a vehicle to pass a road feature (eg while lines, cats eyes etc), then measuring the size of road features at the scene. Approx. speed in Km/h would be:

distance in meters travelled in one frame * frames per second * 3600000

More frames would give a better average result. The frame rate should probably be checked to see if it is correct, and if it could be affected by heat or battery level. This could be done by filming an accurate clock/watch.

 

[Arch]

More frames would give a better average result. The frame rate should probably be checked to see if it is correct, and if it could be affected by heat or battery level. This could be done by filming an accurate clock/watch.

Excellent. Patch together 12 hours or so of that footage, and you could also enter the Turner Prize....