First FRS I see on the road is also first accident caught on DashCam

[Obsidiank]

It's a beautiful day and I was coming home from after a fun day at the park when I spot a brand new Asphalt FRS. I pull up behind it and flash my lights cause I want to be friendly to other FRS owners. Traffic is bad on the way out to the highway and I notice that that FRS is trying to merge into the southbound turning lane but the red Corolla next to me is not having it.

I make eye contact with the driver in the corolla and I see him inch forward to prevent the FRS from merging. Suddenly, the Corolla stops and I'm thinking maybe the guys has had a change of heart. Nope, he then proceeds to drive forward INTO THE FRS.

The passengers in the FRS get out and inspect the damage, eventually pulling off to the side as to not block traffic. I give the guys my info in case they need a witness and drive off. Then, in my side mirror, I see the Corolla blow past me almost hitting me in the process. Seems like instead of exchanging insurance info, the guy in the Corolla decided to just take off.

The asphalt FRS gives chase but I'm late for dinner so I don't follow.

Later on, I'll come to find out that the Corolla hit a stop sign while running away, completely knocking it down before turning around and hitting the FRS a second time. The cops arrested the guy in the Corolla. He was drunk.

[ame]http://youtu.be/DfNyUJT_L70[/ame]


Quick Note: A lot of folks have been IMing me about the dash cam. I have a Blackvue DR500GW-HD with Power Magic Pro discharge kit and 32GB mem card. It costs around $360 shipped for everything from Amazon. There are a lot of cheaper options out there but I went with this kit for a few reasons.

1. First, the wifi is awesome for downloading videos straight to my phone.
2. Second, the cylindrical shape makes it really easy for me to mount it behind the rear view mirror and it's pretty inconspicuous.
3. With the latest firmware, the resolution is great and makes out license plates just fine. You can see that it was getting dark in the video and I actually have to blur out the license plate.

If you're interested in one, I would definitely check out http://dashcamtalk.com for more information and discussion. I would be careful with doing too much research because there are a ton of dash cam options all across the price spectrum and it's really easy to get into the, 'well my $80 best bang for buck dash cam has better video than your $300 one'. That's like saying a corolla is better than an Lexus because both cars can drive 75 miles/hr. Different price point, different features.

4. If you go on dashcam talk, you'll see a bunch of threads about bitrate and custom firmware needed to make this cam actually work well. I have the latest manufacturer firmware and as you can see the camera works great. The only thing I don't like is like most cameras, there is no circular polarizer on the lens so the exposure is going to keep changing as you go from dark to light. You can fix this by aiming it lower and have less sky in the frame.



Here is a picture of it mounted. Installation took about 30 minutes via the tutorials found here

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...ighlight=DR400
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...ighlight=DR400

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Obsidiank

..........
Later on, I'll come to find out that the Corolla hit a stop sign while running away, completely knocking it down before turning around and hitting the FRS a second time. The cops arrested the guy in the Corolla. He was drunk.

What a jerk .......

humfrz

[pascalbrax]

Fucking drunk idiot.

Did the cops ask for your video as evidence?

[Obsidiank]

Originally Posted by pascalbrax

Fucking drunk idiot.

Did the cops ask for your video as evidence?

I offered but he said they have everything they need to press charges. He said if he accepted my video as evidence he would also have to confiscate my camera and memory card so I said, no thanks.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Obsidiank

He said if he accepted my video as evidence he would also have to confiscate my camera and memory card so I said, no thanks.

That makes no sense. Do they expect people to be so good at editing videos that they could just fake some evidence?

I'm at work so I can't see exactly what's in the video, but I bet the other FR-S owner would be happy to see it.

[Obsidiank]

Originally Posted by Anthony

That makes no sense. Do they expect people to be so good at editing videos that they could just fake some evidence?

I'm at work so I can't see exactly what's in the video, but I bet the other FR-S owner would be happy to see it.

I think between the fact that the guy was drunk and had smashed into and took out a stop sign, and had hit the FRS a second time, my video which shows the initial hit wouldn't have made a big difference. He was being nice to me in my opinion so I didn't lose my dashcam...not so much the part about making up evidence.

[Anthony]

Yeah, it sounds like Mr. DUI has already dug quite a hole for himself, I just don't understand why they need the camera and the memory card instead of the footage on a disc or online. I mean what the hell would the difference be if it's unedited? Or... even if it was edited (for time).

This doesn't jive well with me considering I drive around with my GoPro on and planned on sharing any wreck related footage with the police if it ever should happen. They don't need my camera, a disc should suffice just fine.

[Shagaliscious]

The driver of the other FR-S broke a few traffic laws chasing after that Corolla. Probably best that the cops don't see that video

I hope that guy gets the book thrown at him. His next car should require him to blow into a breathalyzer to start it

[tacoss23]

How can you be that drunk during the day? I don't get it......

Don't get me wrong, I drink, but I just can't understand how drunk you have to be to act like that guy did.

Anyways, I hope the guy on the FRS goes after him. I know I would. I wouldn't stop just at "fix my car" charges, I'll go after every single legal option I have to ruin that guy's life.

[frs10]

wow... just wow...

[fang_gt86]

Driving safely requires a brain that functions normally. Alcohol disagrees with this concept..

Hope the Corola guy gets the charges he deserve. Maybe, he'll think twice before pulling another d&d.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by fang_gt86

Driving safely requires a brain that functions normally.

This is true, but only to a certain extent. Like tacoss23 said, how drunk do you have to be to do what that guy did?

Driving is like handling a gun, it can be deadly and should be treated with respect at all times. However. It's so easy! I believe Top Gear even covered this topic one time and Jeremy Clarkson sewed a button onto his shirt while driving, or something like that, to prove how easy regular driving really is.

In situations like this, I think we kind of owe thanks to alcohol (since no one got hurt) for bringing to our attention someone who is probably generally a terrible driver. I don't know for sure, but I feel like I could successfully drive within the limits of the law, completely smashed-ass drunk. I'm not going to try and find out, but I feel like I could, based on other tasks I've performed while being drunk.

Like riding BMX for example. Do you know how much harder (and more dangerous) it is to flow smoothly around a skatepark on a bicycle than it is to drive to the store in a car? Well if not, I can tell you: a lot. But as heinous of a crime drinking and driving is, drinking and riding is totally legal, and me and my friends do it all the time. Note how not dead I am right now. Which leads me to believe: some people just suck.

Corolla guy here is one of those people.

[thill]

Alcoholics don't care what time of the day it is... I had an uncle who would start drinking at breakfast time and pretty much drink till he passed out everyday. Glad the guy got caught and arrested. Hopefully they can keep him off the road.

[fang_gt86]

Originally Posted by Anthony

.... some people just suck.

Corolla guy here is one of those people.

This is totally true. I've seen normal people drive like a drunker.