Stillman and Friedland know that successful personal injury cases begin with the fault clearly laid out on the defendant’s side.
But what happens when this is hard to prove?
Let’s say you are driving late at night, and you stop at an intersection where there are no security cameras. After stopping, you proceed but a speeding driver enters the intersection in the cross direction without stopping and slams into you. Without security cameras to show who was at fault, it is nearly impossible to place the blame on the person who hit you.
New tech can settle that issue, and we think that it is a great way to pre-empt these disputes. Beyond using a dashboard camera, you can use a video scanner that also provides data that may not be clear with images alone. Telematic devices monitor the road and other vehicle traffic, as well as your own driving performance.
Telematics are a great tool for the trucking industry as well. They allow fleet owners to monitor the driving skills or mishaps of their drivers. We gain safety on the roads when unsafe truck drivers are weeded out. Another application is in the public transport sector, especially school bus drivers.
The developing industry trend will require these devices for private vehicles as well. Benefits also include automatic emergency alerts and premium reductions for careful drivers, including young drivers.
While many justly worry about the monitoring and data collection aspect, we hope that drivers will be more conscientious if they know they are being watched. We know it is unrealistic to expect applied technology will decrease, because we all know there is no “road back” once advances take hold.
As the online source techradar notes:
“Telematics is a method of monitoring a vehicle. By combining a GPS system with on-board diagnostics it’s possible to record – and map – exactly where a car is and how fast it’s traveling, and cross reference that with how a car is behaving internally.
“Add communication over a 3G network and telematics can be used to send both data and communications back and forth between a vehicle and a central management system.
Formula One teams have been using this technology for years now, aiding drivers to monitor the positions of other cars on the track. Again, it is all about connectivity and a developing transportation grid that will ultimately revolutionize driving.
We think telematics today could be a plus for smart and safe drivers.
- Smart means that you have uninsured motorist coverage for maximum limits
- Smart also means that you do your tech homework to avoid hacking and spyware
- Safe means that you drive obeying all applicable laws and cautions
Here is the clincher for Tennessee drivers—the high percentage of uninsured drivers in the state poses two major threats:
- Traumatic injury
- Substantial financial damage due to lack of insurance and assets to sue for
A large percentage of these drivers are driving illegally because of prior license violations. These offenses often include reckless driving and substance abuse while driving. Your only chance of compensation will come from your uninsured motorist coverage.
When it is only your word against the other driver’s, telematics can provide the documentation you need to prove your case. If you are in no way at fault, your case is on the right path. The rest of the case is demonstrating fair compensation. Of course, our attorneys also negotiate reductions in the bills you pay—so there is more money in your pocket.
We hope you choose to be a smart and safe driver,
Because we care…
