One Manitoba woman thinks it’s time for MPI to take a serious look at dash cams after she caught a crash on tape that wasn’t exactly what it seemed.

Michelle Christie was driving down Portage Avenue with her husband Tuesday morning when she saw it happen.

“Out comes the van from the sidewalk side of Portage Avenue, across three lanes of traffic to the median and a Ford F150 plowed into the back of the van,” said Christie.

At first, she thought the Ford F150 was at fault, but after she watched the footage on her dash cam, she realized the van cut him off.

“On the video camera, there were no turn signals, and there wasn’t even enough space to allow someone to stop,” she said. “In two seconds, what you think you saw, might not be what you actually saw because it happens so fast.”

Without the tape, Christie would’ve provided a totally inaccurate witness statement, she said. Instead, she sent a copy of the tape to MPI, and one to each of the drivers involved.

The crash instantly sold her on dash cams.

“The accident happened at 8:20 a.m. Tuesday morning, and by 10:30 a.m., we were at Costco purchasing two more so that each one of our vehicles has their own video camera,” she said.

Now, she thinks MPI should step up with an incentive or rebate program to get more cameras in cars.

“I think we should be proactive. They were proactive on the theft-deterrent items,” she said. “It’s a video. It clearly indicates what happened to the vehicle or the surrounding area and it dates it and times it and it’s there. It’s proof. It’s black and white.”

Christie said it would cut down on investigation costs, and give drivers peace of mind.

“With respect to dash cams, I can say that isn’t something that at this point has ever been discussed in terms of offering rebates or incentives,” said Jeremy Sawatzky, a spokesperson for MPI. “We already do offer safe drivers discounts via the driver safety rating, which is one way that we work with Manitobans to try to reduce risk on the road and really encourage safe driving behaviour.”

He said while MPI investigators have used footage from dash cams to help them determine fault, it’s just one part of a wider investigation.

“Sure, if there’s footage it does help, but again it can be one of any number of tools. I wouldn’t necessarily say it takes more priority,” he said. “I wouldn’t say having a dash cam is the be-all, end-all.”

And there are some concerns with the devices, Sawatzky said.

“The use of any sort of in-vehicle device may serve to distract the driver, in terms of if they’re playing around with it or if they’re focused on having it point a certain way,” he said. “From a road safety perspective, we also just want to have that caution there about making sure that any type of in-vehicle device doesn’t actually serve the reverse purpose and end up causing more harm.”

Sawatzky said MPI is neutral on the use of the device, and for right now, they’re focused on reinforcing safe driving behaviour in Manitobans.

Christie said she’s not worried about getting money back on the devices – she thinks they’re well worth it, she just wishes more Manitobans had them in their cars.

“They’re not expensive for the peace of mind it provides me,” she said. “It’s only $200 -- the video that it provides. It helps you sleep at night.”