ExPatTyke

I was hit by a car on Sunday. I won't disclose many details but I was headed homewards, heard a vehicle coming from behind, and started slowing intending to pull into a wider bit of the lane to allow the car to pass. A few seconds later I was flat on the road watching the car accelerating away.

What the driver was obviously too inattentive to realise is that I had a camera. The footage from that camera was given to the local Police force yesterday, and the RK of the vehicle will be getting a knock on the door in next few days.

Without that footage I'd be completely unable to do anything - in a court of law it would be one side against another and without the evidence of the video the driver would get away completely unpunished, and I'd be unable to claim a penny from his insurance.

The camera I had on the bike cost me less than £50, and it took less than 15 minutes to download the footage for the Police.

I was very lucky - largely unhurt apart from a bit of bruising to my knee, but if the worst had happened and I'd been severely injured or killed the footage from that camera would mean my wife and family had a chance of getting meaningful compensation from the driver.

So, if you're thinking about a camera, just go ahead and get one, and carry it whenever you're riding. One day it could make a big difference.


That's a bit close!


Oh **** It was more than close.

Daniel4

I'm glad you're ok.

I have a rear view camera too.

njkayaker

rk?

ExPatTyke

Thank you.

Registered Keeper - the person who the ownership papers (document V5 or logbook in the UK) are registered to.

Bald Paul

You are fortunate to be physically okay, and to have the evidence needed to catch the offending driver.
I had a similar experience where a driver hit me as he was passing and kept on driving. Luckily, there was one other car on the road, following him, who stopped to see if I was okay, and then chased him down and stopped him. Otherwise, I would have had no proof of who hit me.
Since that experience, I now have two GoPro cameras mounted on the bike (one forward, one rearward facing) and highly recommend that anyone riding on the road get at least one.

work4bike

My first incident with a vehicle was much like the one in the OP, except the motorist hit me from the side (right hook) as he made a right turn, but like the OP I could hear the car behind me and I knew there was something going on, because I could hear the car slow a little. Luckily I took evasive action as soon as he turned hitting and knocking me down.

He had no excuse if this was captured on camera, because it was a very open country road with hardly any traffic in absolute daylight. Like in the OP I watched the driver speed off...I just knew it was a deliberate run down, I'm just glad it was not by total surprise, because I did sense something was going to happen and was able to turn with the vehicle at the last moment.

This was back in '93 and I didn't have the experience of today and no good camera technology back then. I am considering buying a camera, I just haven't been motivated enough, because I don't run into many ass holes nowadays around here, but once in a while it does happen.

.

JW Fas

The motorist didn't notice your camera because it's mounted to your handlebars where it's hidden. If you want people to see it, mount it to your helmet. This is also an advantageous position for getting the driver's face.

Troul 

Having it mounted where the OP has it shows the real colors of the character caught in the act. I'm not going to want an attitude misrepresented on camera.

BobbyG

Glad you're not hurt worse. I've been running a camera for 7 years now. I've learned much about my own behavior as I have about the behavior of others.

rumrunn6

totally. I can review how I handle situations (intersections, rotaries, fast hills, etc) & have the time to think about, if it was the best way to handle it ... as boring as mine can be, they are useful for getting better/safer. I often just record intersections, or if I anticipate tricky or otherwise interesting highlights. now that I have a MTB, recording falls is a bonus

Daniel4

Either way has its merits.
When I review in my rear facing camera what drivers do, I'm generally pleased that they follow patiently and pass when it's safe. If that's the result of the camera being so visible, then it has served its second purpose.

Once in a cycling event, I asked the organizer why can't the police escort be in plain clothes instead of in uniform. That way they can nab the bad drivers who act normally as if the police weren't around.

ExPatTyke

Thank you - I think I was lucky. Just heard on the local news that a cyclist was killed in Bristol this morning.

And you're absolutely right, carrying a camera does make you think about your own behaviour as well as that of the other road users being recorded. Our local Police force (Avon and Somerset Constabulary) mandate that video submissions have to consist of two minutes prior and two minutes after an incident so you're always aware that what you do may be used in a court of law. I try to keep the swearing to a minimum

I-Like-To-Bike

Video submissions to A&S of "bad driving" should also be subject to a similar rule, especially the events that occurred prior to the recorded incident, might separate the wheat from the chaff.

BobbyG

I've often thought about getting a riding jersey that says "Video Recording in Progress" or "Smile, You're on Camera".

JW Fas

I'd rather the motorist put on a fake persona if it means they behave lawfully than have them intentionally run me over just so I can cackle, "See what I mean?!"

Kat12

I assume because they don't want the bad drivers acting like that. It's probably small comfort that the person got nabbed when they killed or injured a cyclist-- especially if that death or injury happened during an event you put on; nobody wants to facilitate a crime on their watch (besides, then maybe the driver could whine that it's 'entrapment'). (Do you really want to be the one to tell someone's family and their lawyer, "But we purposely made sure we had only plainclothes cops so that way the jerk would act in the bad way they did that killed the person you loved! Oh, but the cop did get them, so cheer up!")

Daniel4

Cameras on the bike would help this investigation.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...iana-1.6187016

I-Like-To-Bike

Is anyone aware of the number of investigations of bicycle collisions (involving a serious injury or fatality) that have been significantly aided by recovery of a video recording device from the injured/killed bicyclist? I suspect the number and/or percentage of such investigations "helped" in any significant manner is either zero or infinitesimally small. Perhaps it might be useful in establishing time of incident, but so too a phone in the pocket of bicyclist might reveal that info.

OldTryGuy

Glad you are OK --- SO HOW'S THE BIKE????

homeless in ca.

Cameras are very useful for reprimanding bad drivers before their behaviour leads to a deadly collision.

ExPatTyke

Cheers OldTryGuy - think I got lucky, there was another cyclist killed in Bristol on the Monday after.

The bike's more or less ok too, I'm pleased to say, torn bar tape, brake lever pushed in, lever hood ripped, but nothing apparent apart from that.

ExPatTyke

Exactly that - I always carry a camera on my commute, and any bad driving gets reported. It works, as I'm on a regular commute route most days I often see the same drivers. The ones I've reported invariably take much more care around me after the report. And if they're driving carefully around me chances are they're being equally careful around other cyclists.

rumrunn6

I've experimented w/ rear facing cameras. on my helmet. I tilted in down & toward the cars. can't miss seeing that!


at the 40 sec mark would have been good to have had a front camera as well
at the 50 sec mark Wifey beeps her horn, drives by & shouts that the door is open. I was almost home haha

mcours2006

On commutes I run a saddle mounted rear-facing camera and a bar-mounted forward facing camera. I've had one rear-end collision where the video footage proved useful for the police and crown prosecutor.

On solo rides I'll run only a rear-facing video, as most rides are too long for one camera to capture, so I'll carry the other camera and swap out after about two hours or so.

I don't know how many drivers I encounter on the road would notice that I'm running a video, but it doesn't really matter. I doubt it would change their behaviour anyway. The video is for in case something does happen.

On group rides I run the same rear-facing video, but it's not quite as imperative as I'm with others.

Glad OP is all right.

colleran

Glad you're safe!