Originally Posted by
Riveting
The existence of a camera on your bike (or in a convenience store) doesn't offer direct protection, just as the existence of a police force in your town doesn't offer direct protection. Both are used AFTER an incident has occurred to bring the perpetrator to justice, and in doing so, and making those cases public (via newspaper or TV news) will cause future perpetrators to "think twice" and hopefully not perform the incident in the first place. It's called a "crime deterrent", Google it.
Oh, I understand the idea, I just don't personally see any evidence that it's working. Convenience stores are still getting robbed. Cyclist are going to continue to get run over.
In many, many case, the driver stops. There's no need for a camera to identify them. And the drivers are often not charged because they claimed their vision was obstructed or some other equally lame excuse.
Now, as a prosecutorial aid, sure a camera could *possibly* be of some use. At least to identify the owner of the vehicle. But I wouldn't go as far as calling that protection.