Having a camera came in handy-dandy today. Hope y'all don't mind an off-topic post, didn't feel like starting a new thread since it was previously discussed in this one.

Got a phone call today from the CHP today asking me to come and make a report regarding an alleged incident where I supposedly ran someone off the freeway and into a post on off the side of the shoulder. I stated I had no recollection of such a thing (I didn't know what happened until later in the day). They wanted me to come in anyway.

So I arrived and made my report, that at the approximate time of the incident I was at some approximate location (which was actually 1,000 feet from the incident location of a 26 mile drive (not bad estimation but not good for me, either). I was breifly interrogated and asked about the incident again and they pressed hard about falsifying a police report being a felony (but they did allow me 3 potty breaks and even offered me coffee (which I don't drink).

Anyway, I finally told them that I keep a running camera in my vehicle at all times and we should review it to see if a) was it functional at the time and b) does it help to clarify the situation.

We reviewed the tape (I have since adjusted it with a mirror to capture front and back of me). The tape showed a very interesting story. One that I wasn't even aware of until I saw the video: for the distance of about a few thousand feet before the accident, a vehicle comes racing through people at twice the speed of traffic (which was approx 23 MPH according to my video feed) and even passing on the shoulder lane. There comes an entrance/exit lane for some distance that people use as a passing lane, myself included, on the video. I blinked right for 8.9 seconds until, what in the video showed, a safe place to merge. So I did.

During the merge this vehicle comes zipping into the lane like there's no tommorrow, probly not expecting me to be making the merge but we would have, it appears, broadsided but he decided not to slow down (or honk, there was no honking in the recording) but instead to pull to the shoulder lane and speed up and attempt to cut-me-off. At some point I should have seen him but the video partially records me looking towords a different direction because of something else that happened.

He couldn't get in front of me because I'm way too close to the truck in front of me so he pulls completely into the shoulder and then, in the video, it shows his car smashed into a cunstruction generator/sign in the shoulder lane and I keep on driving (I currently don't record the sides or my blind spots but I'll look into it in the future).

Some other person called me in saying I ran this guy off the road and fled the scene of the accident but the person in the car that crashed had a similar story but added that I proked him and so on. Anyway, I ammended my report to include the video and that I was not previously aware of the incident before having seen the video and they asked me about the time stamp, whether I put it on before or after the incident. My recorder records with the time stamp. They placed a blank cassette tape in the recorder and had me record for 30 seconds and then matched the time stamp with their clocks and confirmed that I was 3.1 seconds ahead of them. I offered the original cassette tapes as evidence.

I then spoke with another officer who informed me that I most likely won't be held responsible, as there is nothing to indicate fault or aggrevation in the incident (they actually watched 18 minutes previous to establish my driving habbits and noted that I was in one lane the entire time, allowed people to pass/merge when blinking and so on.

Before I left, there was some talk that he will be charged with falsyfying a police report and that his insurance company will be informed (since he since reported a claim with the same story) and they will have the option to charge him with fraudulantly filing an insurance claim with intent to defraud (or something like that, not sure the exact words).

In any case, it never hurts to have a camera. When I get my setup in the Honda Civic Hybrid, I'll post details on the equipment, procedures, and installation, and price.


Thanks,
Shawn