What do you think about this: Bunk, valid, or not important? I'm not sure, but I don't miss GPS on my dashcam.
"Cams with GPS typically calculate and record your estimated speed. This can potentially be a bad thing. For instance, you’re involved in a collision for which the other driver is inarguably at fault as the video shows, but miles back while approaching the intersection, you were, however benignly, breaking the speed limit by five or ten miles per hour. That information would go into consideration when the insurance company or police reviewed the tape.
We don’t condone unsafe driving, but your insurer and local police follow the letter of the law rather than the spirit. Basically, GPS has almost no discernible benefit but a considerable potential for self-incrimination. "
The potential for self-incrimination is certainly something you should consider but, depending on your country's laws and procedures, I think generally it's something that shouldn't be a concern.
Firstly, there's the question of accuracy. While dashcam speed measurements, combined with other information, may help you to argue your innocence, it's unlikely to be accepted as proof of your guilt. I don't know how the law operates in other countries but, in the UK at least, evidence has to be irrefutable and reliable to be incriminating. As such, even vehicle speed measurement devices that are approved for police use have to be frequently (often daily) checked, calibrated and certified. People have been known to escape speeding fines just because calibration of such devices were missed or called into question. So, while a dashcam might help your case, by challenging the accuracy of conflicting information, it's unlikely to be accepted solely as evidence to convict you following a minor accident.
Secondly, every dashcam effectively records your speed simply by recording video. It would be a relatively simple exercise for the police to calculate your speed from the video footage, given known distances between junctions, street lighting, etc.
Thirdly, in a minor accident (again, depending on your country's laws and procedures), it's unlikely you would be forced to hand over your dashcam footage. In most cases you would submit the video footage voluntarily, if you feel it helps your case. Of course, following a serious accident, such as one that causes loss of life through reckless driving, especially if you yourself were hospitalised or killed, it's possible the police may be able to access your dashcam footage without your permission. But, in such cases, if you are guilty, it's likely there will be many other incriminating factors. Whether or not the video footage includes a dashcam speed estimation will likely have little bearing on the case.
And, lastly, I wonder, has anyone ever been incriminated solely by their own dash cam footage (with or without GPS)?
Also, what you did "
miles back" would likely be considered irrelevant by most courts of law, but you could leave that part out of any footage you voluntarily submit if you wish. Most courts aren't even allowed to consider previous serious criminal convictions when examining evidence against a defendant in a new case, since it's not a reliable assumption that being guilty of one act implies guilt of another, even if it's the same crime.
As for the benefits of GPS, I would say that it adds much more credibility to the footage. Dashcams with GPS will usually get their time and date from the satellites, ensuring that information is always accurate. Having that accurate time-stamp on the video footage, along with the precise coordinates, in my opinion, is much better than a dashcam that records video footage alone, especially if the time and date happens to be incorrect.
