How To Save Tesla Camera Footage

The perks of driving an electric vehicle, such as the Tesla, go beyond the environmental hurdles it accomplishes. Tesla vehicles come equipped with dashcams and other video cameras that record the crash from multiple angles.

In a personal injury case, parties are often pointing the finger at each other for fault, these cameras can provide evidence of the cause of a car crash and prove that you were not at fault for a car accident.

When you are in a car accident, it can be very important to your personal injury case to have as much evidence to provide your attorney as possible. So, how do you save Tesla camera footage to ensure it is readily available to provide to your attorney?

Before you choose which option works for you, the Dashcam must be enabled to save the footage onto a USB. You can insert your own flash drive into the USB port, but all of the vehicles manufactured beginning in 2020 are equipped with a pre-formatted USB in the glove compartment. The Model X Tesla automatically formats the drive for you.

You must enable the Dashcam in your control settings and choose how and when the footage is saved.

As stated on Tesla’s website, there are a few options in which you can save the footage:

1. Auto option. This is when the Dashcam automatically saves a recording to a USB. In the Model X, the vehicle detects any safety-critical event, but this detection may vary and is subject to your vehicle’s specific settings.
2. You can manually save the footage yourself! All you need to do is touch the Dashcam icon to save a recording of the most recent ten minutes of footage. This should cover the moment leading up to the incident that occurs. This is the best option and should be done anytime you are in a crash, even if it is just a secondary way to save the footage.
3. You can save it On Honk. This means that when you press the horn, the Dashcam will save a recording of the most recent ten minutes of footage as well. You must enable this option along with either the Auto or Manual options.

Once you choose the option that is best for you, viewing your footage is easy! You can either view it on your dashboard touchscreen by parking your vehicle and viewing it from the Dashcam icon or you can insert your USB into a computer and navigate to the TeslaCam folder. In both options, your videos will be organized by timestamp.

In the event your next auto accident occurs while you are in your Tesla, keep these tips in mind to ensure you save your footage as soon as possible to protect yourself and help your case!