mcours2006

I wear mine on top on my helmet. It doesn't stick up so much like a Go-Pro mount so not quite as conspicuous. My rear-facing camera is under my saddle, which is inconspicuous. I haven't noticed any difference in driver behaviour from before I mounted my cameras, but I am one data point. I'd be interested to see what 'proof' you have before I am 'disillusioned'.

mr_bill

Milton Keynes

Blessed are the cheese makers.

Milton Keynes

My wife thinks I already look enough like a geek when I get dressed up in my bike gear that I don't need a big camera on top of my head, too.

Notso_fastLane

My wife gave up long ago trying not to make me look like a dork. You should see what I wear on my motorcycle.

Notso_fastLane

What were the bicyclists doing wrong?

Be specific.

KraneXL

Can this really be that much of a challenge?

"We act differently when we know we’re on camera."

How Being Filmed Changes Employee Behavior

"When we become aware that a video-camera is recording our actions, we also become self-conscious that unacceptable behaviors are likely to be captured on film, and the perceived certainly of punishment is at its highest," the study said.

Voices: How wearing a video camera changes behavior

Rick

I have considered a camera. I put a Dinotte day light visible taillight on my bicycle and this has had a huge effect on how close people pass me. My favorite video of catching a crook was one from two road riders near Berkley CA. The police were able to see the tag on the vehicle and it was registered to a parole. They found a large number of firearms at the paroles residence and he was busted.

Maelochs

Neither of those are examples of drivers, who probably think they are always in the right, changing behavior because of cyclists wearing cameras.

mcours2006

Thanks for the links, but that's not proof that a bike camera changes driver behaviour. It's a big leap going from camera-wearing police officers influence behaviour of people they encounter and that of themselves to influencing driver behaviour with a bike-mounted camera.

dynodonn 

I ran front and rear cameras, and they basically showed that I needed to adjust my riding style in order to avoid certain incidents that kept occurring on a regular basis. Cameras were a big help in lessening harassment at stop signs and stop lights as well, since I suspect that many motorists were savvy in spotting my rear camera, and realized that they where being videoed.

JoeyBike

The cyclists didn't do anything "wrong" legally. If that were me on the bike I would have just pulled off the road and let the A.H. win. Just let him go past. Because.....I'm smart, not stubborn. The guy driving the tank behind me has ALL the power to kill me. Who knows how big of a lunatic he is, on drugs, drunk, psychotic.

Obviously the motorist was a trolley or train conductor in a past life and believing that he was on train tracks and "stuck" behind the pesky cyclists. So he was blowing his horn just like a train conductor to get the obstructions off of the tracks.

Now if I pull off the road and the dude stops and gets out of the car to discuss the situation...then we have a real problem. But I am certain the driver is a coward 99% of the time. I had one guy get out of a pickup truck and thought certain he was going to assault me until I pointed out that he was in a company car with a freaking sign on it. So he cussed me, got back in the truck, and left me in a cloud of white smoke from spinning his tires. Same as those two dudes, I was far right. He honked, I pulled over, then made the mistake of yelling at him as he went past. Dude had zero sense of humor and almost got bear sprayed. These days I carry an ASP collapsible baton - lightweight alloy model - for about 10 years now. Never had to deploy it yet. Learned to keep my mouth shut.

Another way to handle it was the way my touring bud decided to do it. Same situation, SUV started honking at us about 1/8 mile behind us on a similar road to the two roadies. We were far right. Then they did just like the guy in the video so I pulled off the road, but my action-freak friend moved to the center of the lane and STOPPED, facing them - 4 teenagers in the SUV. They went around him and cursed us. Then...a couple miles up the road we came to a small town and THERE was the SUV at a convenience store. The driver was inside the store, the other three dudes saw us rolling up and dove to the floor of the vehicle and hid. Cowards as predicted. We didn't stop.

dynodonn 

At stop signs and stop lights, I would say yes, but from personal experience, I would say no when it comes to motorists' traveling at speed.

jon c. 

I don't feel that I need a camera when riding anymore than I feel I need on on my car.

dynodonn 

Here in the US, a dash cam is generally a boring affair, but ask any Russian motorist, and they would think you were crazy, plus we wouldn't have any of those fantastic YouTube videos to watch.


"You can get into your car without your pants on, but never get into a car without a dash cam," Aleksei Dozorov, a motorists' rights activist in Russia told Radio Free Europe last year.

https://www.wired.com/2013/02/russian-dash-cams/

livedarklions

If he's that big a nut, why would pulling off the road dissuade him from swerving to kill you? In the situation they were in, by the time it became obvious he was deliberately harassing them, if he'd wanted to squash them, he'd have done so already. Stopping makes no sense, it would just make you an easier target to hit.

mcours2006

Pulling off the road then calling the police might have been the wise thing to do. But maybe in a situation like that with the adrenalin coursing through your vein it might have been hard to think. In their case, flight or flee seemed the only options.

JoeyBike

IMO, the motorist was trying to make a point. Bikes don't belong on the road, and certainly not in HIS way. Just safely SIGNAL my intention to move right, slow to a stop on the tarmac, and move OFF OF THE TARMAC. This is what the A.H. wants is to bully those dudes off the tarmac where "they don't belong". 99% chance the motorist will just then continue on his way with a dong the size of the GoodYear blimp and a story to tell his A.H. friends.

Meanwhile, we have his plate number and hopefully ONE cop who rides a bike in the county to speak to about it. Or a D.A. Or just suck it up as the price you pay for cycling in Hickville.

It helps that I have zero pride. That dork wants the whole road, he can have it this once. At least he is PAYING ATTENTION to driving the danged car. It's the ppl who don't see me that freaks me out.

Now if he stops as well and exits his vehicle it just might get real. That is clearly intent to assault me. All bets are off at that point.

CB HI

They proved JoeyBike & ILTB wrong.

JoeyBike

This is what you look like to "normal" people, especially if you are wearing full race kit AND a GoPro on your head. No joke. Ask anyone who doesn't ride a bike.

mcours2006

Well, at least we get noticed, which is better than not being noticed at all as far as I'm concerned. Mission accomplished.

jon c. 

Good point. I'd definitely rethink my stance in that environment. But being in that environment would have me rethinking a lot of things. They are fun to watch, but I can't imagine living it.

Rick

People who honk like the one in the video are usually mad already or were startled when they looked up from texting. I give them the room they need and wave them by. This does not always work. You need to be prepared for real stupid. I moved back to CA in 2008. I lived near a VA hospital and bicycled to appointments. I passed through were there was a freeway interchange going to and from the VA. 4 times in 11 years some person believed I was doing something wrong and they were real stupid. The traffic is slow enough through this area that it is easy to ride in the lane behind a car and stay up with them. The stupidest incident was a couple in a beamer who insisted that I move into the right lane/on ramp. I was already in the right lane behind another car and they continued by trying to force me on to the on ramp. Traffic was at a stop and I went to the right under the overpass and reentered traffic. They followed me and made a strafing run on me. I got up onto the sidewalk behind a power pole. I had heard a noise when they passed and was shoved a little. I later noticed paint on my left pedal. I did not need a camera here. There were other witnesses who called the police.

KraneXL

It good that you had witnesses and managed to get through the ordeal unscathed. Nevertheless, one video recording is worth a dozen witnesses. You can choose to go without one, but I'd never say I don't need one. Ride safely.

FrenchFit 

Fascinating video. I wonder if it could possibly occur to the cyclists, maybe in retrospect, to simply pull off the road. I guess not, that would be ...losing....something..

So, yelling into the camera for 5 minutes is a better idea....OK.