Originally Posted by
raqball
Video evidence is crystal clear and can show exactly what happened. It can capture the events as they unfolded, license plates and other pertinent information. Eye-witnesses are often the exact opposite of that and are very unreliable. Video evidence could easily win a case where if there was no video it might be a coin flip as to who the judge or jury believes..
In the event of a hit and run, video evidence of the car description and plate might be the only way the driver is ever caught.
One detail that is often overlooked in the US (mainly because people don't know) is the following: In the absence of physical contact between one automobile and another vehicle or person, police won't investigate unless the accuser can visually identify the driver. That doesn't necessitate the use of a camera, but it increases your chances of success dramatically.
In the example below the BMW driver (what a surprise, right?) was ticketed because of the video evidence. Had I not possessed cameras, what were the odds I would've been able to see the driver's face and/or license plate given how fast he overtook me? If by some miracle my eyes were able to see both AND the cop was willing to investigate based on my sole eyewitness testimony, the registered owner would've simply denied wrongdoing. That would have been the end of that. Instead, the cop was able to bring up the YouTube video on his phone and show it directly to the driver. At which point the guy couldn't deny it, so he tried to play ignorant by saying he was unaware of the KS 3-foot passing law.