Reckless driving is a big problem on California roads.  In fact, our San Diego law firm considers it to be one of the top cause of car accidents and we are in support of anything that helps motorists to be safer and more cautious behind the wheel.

Our auto accident lawyers feel that the passing of a new California law to install video recorders on the dashboards of reckless drivers — as reported by the Tahoe Daily Tribune — might just the watchful eye that keeps drivers in check.

California’s Assembly has passed a bill that allows for the recording of reckless driving at the wheel.

Current state law prohibits the view from the driver’s dashboard from being obstructed by devices or accessories of any kind, but on May 17, 2010 the California State Assembly passed a law in an effort to determine who is at-fault during an auto accident.  Other goals of the bill are to keep an eye on teen drivers and motorists who have a history of reckless driving.

San Diego’s own Nathan Fletcher, the assemblyman and author of the law, was supported by companies who hire out drivers to local businesses in support of this new legislation.  An 80 percent auto accident reduction rate is credited to these devices that record the actions of professional drivers, according to Fletcher.

Bill AB1942 passed the Assembly 49-0.  It states that such devices would record data in a digital loop, but “saves video only when triggered by an unusual motion or crash or when operated by the driver to monitor driver performance.”

Not only will these devices document what the driver does behind the wheel, but if they are speeding, not wearing a seatbelt or applying brakes before an auto accident, that video recording activates.  When reckless driving from professionals or teen drivers do happen, coaching techniques can be implicated to develop safer methods of driving.

While this law is great, it might not be enough.  Our firm’s auto accident lawyers in San Diego want to stop auto accidents before they happen — particularly, ones where catastrophic injuries or wrongful deaths occur.  What matters is preventing accidents, something that a video recording cannot do, but our hope is that people in the driver’s seat will know they are being watched and therefore, driver safer.

If you are injured in an auto accident, contact our San Diego law firm at (800) 655-6585 for a FREE consultation with an experienced auto accident lawyer. You may also click here to submit your case for a FREE online review.

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