How Traffic Cameras Impact Car Accidents in New York

There are ample traffic cameras throughout New York, including speed and red light cameras. That being said, the existence of these cameras doesn’t always impact car accidents or help victims seeking compensation.

While there are several types of traffic cameras in New York, they don’t all film 24/7 or archive the footage. Regular traffic cameras are streamed live throughout the day but do not store footage for victims to access after a car accident. While accessing images from red light and speed cameras can be easier, these cameras have to be triggered to operate. Because of this, victims shouldn’t rely on traffic camera footage to support their claim against a negligent driver. Instead, victims should call New York police officers to an accident scene and hire a New Brunswick car accident lawyer to locate any available security camera footage.

Our lawyers will access any available traffic camera footage and gather evidence to support your claim against a negligent driver. For a free case evaluation, call the New York car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm today at (718) 841-0083.

Do New York Traffic Cameras Film Car Accidents?

While there are traffic cameras and speed cameras near major intersections in New York and certain accident-prone areas, that doesn’t mean your accident will be caught on tape. Because of this, car accident victims in New York shouldn’t rely on traffic cameras to support their claim against a negligent driver.

It’s possible that traffic cameras may film your accident in New York, but not necessarily likely. The New York Department of Transportation does have traffic cameras throughout major roadways across all five boroughs in New York City and throughout the state. So, if your accident happened to occur at one of the locations of a traffic camera in New York, it’s possible that it was filmed.

In addition to regular traffic cameras, which are available to view through an online stream supported by the New York Department of Transportation’s website, the state has also implemented speed cameras and red-light cameras. For example, in New York City, speed cameras are triggered when a negligent driver is driving more than ten miles per hour above the speed limit. If, say, a speeding driver hit your car at the exact moment it passed a speed camera in New York, it’s possible that the accident would be photographed. However, that’s unlikely.

If a negligent driver ran a red light, causing an accident, it’s possible that a red-light camera would have filmed it. Once again, however, the circumstances of your New York car accident would have to have been very specific for a red-light camera to catch it.

While it is not guaranteed for any of the various traffic cameras throughout New York to have filmed your car accident, it’s possible. Be sure to tell our Brooklyn car accident lawyers your accident’s location so that they can investigate potential footage of your damaging collision.

Can I Access New York Traffic Camera Footage After a Car Accident?

Although several types of traffic cameras may have filmed your New York car accident, accessing that footage may be difficult. Not all traffic camera footage is archived or available for your attorney to obtain to help support your compensation claim.

Currently, in New York, regular traffic camera footage is not archived. While the streams are available for viewing 24 hours a day, the footage is not officially stored. Because of that, even if a New York traffic camera filmed your car accident, it’s unlikely that your Long Island car accident attorney would be able to access it.

Red light traffic cameras aren’t so different. While it may be possible for your lawyer to obtain red light camera footage or still images, a negligent driver would have had to run a red light to trigger the camera and hit your car simultaneously. This is a rare occurrence, but the most likely scenario in which footage or images from a red-light camera would be available.

Speed cameras, often situated in school or work zones in New York, will capture images if triggered. However, they generally only take photos of a speeding driver’s license plate and face and do not record video footage. Because of that, the chances that a speed camera in New York would capture a car accident are low. Obtaining those images, should they exist, would be somewhat easier since the photos are stored to identify a negligent driver and send them a fine for speeding.

Will Not Having Traffic Camera Footage Impact My Car Accident Lawsuit?

The various traffic cameras throughout New York are used to deter negligent drivers who may otherwise cause an accident. The goal is that drivers will act more responsibly if they believe they are being filmed. However, because these cameras don’t always get footage of accidents, victims need to learn other methods of supporting their claim against a negligent driver.

While New York traffic cameras, especially the newer speed cameras, are intended to deter negligent drivers, car accidents still happen. Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible for your Queens car accident attorney to access footage, especially if it is not archived. However, your experienced attorney will look to other forms of evidence to support your compensation claim.

For example, even if one of the various traffic cameras in New York did not film your collision, a security camera might have. Our lawyers will investigate if any local businesses captured an accident’s events on their own security cameras. Because it is rare for New York traffic cameras to film an accident, not having footage of a collision won’t necessarily impact your case.

Remember, New York car accident victims should never act under the assumption that their collision was filmed. Because of that, victims should always contact law enforcement officials after an accident. New York police officers will complete a crash report detailing an accident’s events, which victims can use to strengthen their claim against a negligent driver in place of traffic camera or security camera footage.

Call Our Attorneys After a New York Car Accident

If there is traffic camera footage of your car accident, our attorneys will work to access it and help you recover compensatory damages against a negligent driver. For a free case evaluation, call the Bronx car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm today at (718) 841-0083.