Advocating for cameras on bikes.
 

I think this website is potentially a great tool, in combination with modern camera technology, to at least be able to hold drivers accountable when they would otherwise get away with murder, sometimes literally.

https://closecalldatabase.com/articl...n-the-cameras/

I am a proponent of cameras on a bike. I run two myself--one front and one back. In fact, at the trial of the drunk driver who hit me from behind I was told by the police officer that my video footage of the footage was instrumental in getting a conviction.

I ran a camera up front for several years. I decided to quit recreational cycling thanks to that footage, so perhaps the camera actually saved my life. I am not interested in seeing who finally kills me on video "tape". I just switched hobbies. Problem solved, no crime camera(s) required.

I am absolutely ready to install a pair of cameras as soon as some "advocate" sends them to me free of charge.

I've opted for small towns where I dont have so much aggressive motorized traffic coming from all directions..
here I'm 1/2 a block from a 4 lane highway through town , but only 5 blocks to the town center* ..

(I use the Post Office for that landmark* , County courthouse is across the street from it.)






...

It isn't too hard to suspect that some of the "advocates" proselytizing on BF for the installation of cameras on bicycles as a "safety" feature just might have a financial interest in the sales of portable cameras.

Maybe they're just really bad at memorizing license plates of hit and run vehicles, while they're lying in the street bleeding. People that run over bikes don't always stop and offer to help.

So suspicious!

With the proliferation of dash cameras these days I am curious whether or not this has had any effect on the behaviour of drivers. I suspect not as drivers continue to do what they always do. I suspect a camera on a bike isn't going to do much to change driver bahaviour either, sadly. I employ mine as a means of documenting the events in case they are relevant after an incident.

Let me get this straight ... it was reviewing footage from a forward mounted camera that convinced you to quit ... right. Which direction do YOU usually look in when riding? Just curious. Anyway you only reinforce my thinking on the cameras, I am glad that I have so far resisted the urge to buy one.

Yes, this post adds nothing other than a plug for whatever product is linked-to. Advocacy vs advertising is all about motive and compensation. I could be a cheese advocate. I could be a cheese maker. But if my advocacy consists of directing people to my cheese-selling website selling my product, or a website that is just a shill providing testimonials for my specific product, I'm advertising, not advocating.

For good reason. Amazing how gullible some of our comrades are to the shilling of the alleged safety enhancement and/or legal protection created for bicyclists by buying and running the touted cameras.

A 3 year old article.
And one in which the author did not know of the efforts that Colorado State Patrol (CSP) were engaging in, against aggressive drivers.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/csp...ressive-driver
The author would have had better results if they called *277 for CSP rather than 911 and getting a local yahoo that hates cyclist as much as some of the bad motorist.
CSP has had a big impact on Colorado resident drivers, and harassment by them is way down (except maybe in Denver County). From my experience, almost all of the dangerous drivers the last couple of summers have been from tourist, mostly Texans, although the worst guy was from Minnesota in his tiny little spark.

The cyclist hating Sheriff in Larimer County next to Boulder is gone. Colorado state government passed cyclist friendly laws for our protection (partly due to the Sheriff) and rights, such as traveling through Black Hawk.

I've thought about going the camera route and purchasing a helmet cam but I just don't like that big bulky look on the top of a helmet. If there was a more elegant looking solution I'd probably already be there. Personally, I don't need super high resolution, just something to document any incident I may witness or be involved in.

I like the fact that my GoPro sticks up and is very obvious on top of my helmet. I think improves the drivers around me because they notice it.

I could be wrong, but I seem to have fewer drivers buzzing me when I have the camera on. So much so that sometimes I'll wear the camera even if I forgot to charge the battery. :)

It's tough to put a price on the "peace of mind" you get with a video camera. It's the kind of "peace of mind" that purchasing insurance is supposed to give you, but that I never actually received, I guess I'm immune to it. :(

I'm shopping for a second video camera now, might try a Go Pro this time, especially if I can buy multiple mounts. Cycliq charges obscene prices for extra mounting brackets, it's almost cheaper to buy a second camera. Camera is fine, but those people can be greedy as f**k when it comes to the pricing of certain accessories.

I would hardly think that all of us who post in a bicycle discussion forum are all working in the bicycle industry. Should we also be suspicious that all those skeptical posts are from the automobile industry?

I sort of doubt most drivers look at a cyclist long enough or closely enough to notice that he has a video-mushroom sprouting out of his head.

If having a camera makes some folks feel better ... Awesome. Best thing to buy is something which makes your life noticeably better, right?

if I had so many close calls that I needed a camera, I would want someone to film me so i could see what i was doing wrong.

Unless there is an actual incident, the NOPD does not care. A close pass, thrown objects that missed their mark, attempted battery that I avoided, right hooks, etc. So a camera would only be potentially useful to my next of kin should I be struck down. The thought of NEEDING a security camera to go for a bike ride reset my thermostat on how much I actually NEEDED to be riding a bike for fun and recreation in the first place. So in a sense, camera availability could have been a lifesaver for me. I found something less hazardous to fill my spare time. No cameras required. Less worry.

Whatever floats your "peace of mind" boat! Some people believe that a plastic totem on their dashboard provides some sort of insurance protection. It's all a matter of faith,eh?
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ad0e3a9742.gif

Seems I-Like-To-Bike is the gullible shill of the doubters.
Part of what got the Colorado State Patrol into protecting cyclist was a cell phone video of some old driver that frequently endangered cyclist.
Honking at cyclists: Erie man, 75, ticketed in incident near Longmont - Boulder Daily Camera

Three stubborn people cross paths in the Universe.

Maybe the driver knows the cyclist and wants him to turn around to say hi. But some people have been accustomed to just ignore everybody.

That video is amazing. I wonder what the driver would have done if the cyclists just stopped? Would he wait there for them to start riding again?

Allow me to disillusion you: Cameras absolutely affect behavior -- provided they're visible. That's been proven many times and in many situations.