LETTERS: Dashcams should be installed in all vehicles as they are a vital source of evidence if an accident occurs.
Dashcams have advanced over the years into small and unassuming devices that are easily mounted anywhere in a vehicle. Drivers may opt to install dashcams in their vehicles for liability protection.
Footage from dashcams can assist us when we want to lodge a formal complaint with the authorities, bring a case to court, claim insurance or demand compensation or legal remedy.
Using dashcam footage as evidence should not be a big obstacle in our legal system.
Section 3 of the Evidence Act 1950 states that evidence "includes: (a) all statements which the court permits or requires to be made before it by witnesses in relation to matters of fact under inquiry: such statements are called oral evidence; and (b) all documents produced for the inspection of the court: such documents are called documentary evidence".
Note that the word "includes" in this section means that we can bring in any items as evidence in order to support or substantiate our case.
This view is based on the case of Chin Seow Noi v PP [1994] 1 SLR 135 where the court said: "The use of the word 'includes' in our section 3 is clearly intended to make the definition of evidence in our Evidence Act an extensive one."
Therefore, we can use footage from a dashcam as evidence as long as it is relevant, strong and credible.
At the same time, we should review laws like the Road Transport Act 1987 to make dashcams mandatory in vehicles.
DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW
Associate Professor, Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times