Totally agree with you there—clear footage can make or break a claim. One thing I'd add: don't forget to regularly check your dashcam's memory card. Had mine corrupt once, and trust me, discovering that after an accident is not fun...
Good reminder on the memory card check—I tend to be skeptical about dashcams catching everything clearly anyway, but your experience makes me reconsider. Might just add a monthly calendar alert to double-check mine... better safe than sorry, right?
I used to think dashcams were kinda pointless too—figured insurance would cover me anyway. But then my friend got rear-ended and the other guy tried claiming it wasn't his fault. Luckily, her dashcam footage cleared things up real fast. Made me rethink my skepticism a bit... still not totally convinced they're foolproof, but it's probably worth checking the card every now and then. Better to have it working than find out too late it's full or corrupted.
Yeah, I hear you—dashcams aren't perfect, but they've definitely saved my neck a couple times. Had a similar incident last winter when someone slid into me at an intersection. They tried to spin it around and blame me for braking suddenly. Luckily, the footage showed clearly that the light was red and I'd been stopped for a solid 10 seconds before impact. They're not bulletproof (cards corrupt, cameras glitch), but when they work... man, they're worth every penny spent. Just gotta remember to check 'em occasionally like you said.
Totally agree about dashcams being lifesavers—had mine bail me out once too. But one thing I'm curious about is how insurance companies actually handle dashcam footage in no-fault states. Like, does it significantly speed up claims processing, or do they still drag their feet even with clear evidence? I've heard mixed things from friends who've had incidents.
Also, you mentioned checking the dashcam periodically... do you do regular test runs or just glance at the screen occasionally? Personally, I make it part of my monthly car-check routine—formatting the SD card and watching a few clips to ensure everything's recording clearly. Maybe that's overkill, but I'd rather catch a glitch early than find out after an accident that nothing was recorded.