More drivers getting convicted from helmet camera evidence

thelawnet

vax2002 wrote: »

I wonder if car drivers should get them and report every cyclist that undertakes on the inside then complains when you are turning left ?

Good idea.

Does this happen a lot to you?

thelawnet

rev_henry wrote: »

I've seen cheap cameras with handle bar mounts as well as helmet and windscreen mounts...

Yeah you can put them on your bars, the helmet cam is obviously much better though because it shows what you see, whereas the bar cam just shows where your bike is pointing.

Joe_Horner

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Any good review sites for the cheaper cameras, or do I just take my chances on ebay?

Cars with cameras?, fine by me as well. If all cars had them finding evidence would be easier.

If you google MD80 camera you'll find a fair few reviews of the typical cheap version. To get you started, here's a test video I made when I got mine - clipped to the passenger sun visor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4hFrntOtbk

Battery life on this one is about an hour, which is enough to fill a 2Gb SD card (not included at that price).

Cost was about a tenner delivered from EBay:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/11777abc/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

and it does what it says on the tin (and is still doing it 5 months later!). Also comes with 3 or 4 mounting options that actually seem to work!

The model appears to be a cheap copy of a more expensive (metal cased) design but is pretty well put together for what it is. Seems to manage a genuine 30FPS if the light is reasonable, and produces some sort of results even in very low light.

Obviously, there are a few quirks at that price:

It never says that it's battery's full when you're charging it, so you need to keep an eye on how long you leave it plugged in (about 3 - 4 hours the first time and a couple of hours each time after that)

It doesn't like some cheap / slow SD cards although that's more likely to be a a problem with the card than the camera.

Occasionally it will lock up completely and you need to press the reset button with a pin to clear it.

You can read straight off it onto a PC / laptop but it's faster / more reliable to remove the card ans use a card reader for that.

vax2002

thelawnet wrote: »

Good idea.

Does this happen a lot to you?

I was in a que of traffic turning left, indicator on when the traffic began to move, on the inside not in any bike lane came flying mr Political aggressive cyclist, I stopped so he edged down the inside grabbed my mirror and ripped it off shouting obscenities.
Now he should not even be overtaking moving traffic on the inside.
So I caught up with him for a quiet word about why he had smashed my mirror for no other reason than aggression, he had not collided with it, so I asked for his details, he threw his bike on the verge spat in my face and swung a left hook!
So I decided to play his game and sat him on his !!!!.

movilogo

What happens if you are at fault and it is recorded in your camera? Are you legally bound to supply that information or you can simply suppress it?

Crabman

movilogo wrote: »

What happens if you are at fault and it is recorded in your camera? Are you legally bound to supply that information or you can simply suppress it?

Disposing of evidence is not looked upon too kindly by the courts

Most cyclists I come across are fine but there are the odd deathwish riders who think it's appropriate to approach at speed on the left of a stationary car and then dive across the bumper just as traffic lights turn green.

I see it happen (usually to other cars) quite often when I'm in Birmingham but you just have to drive defensively and allow for cyclists who will happily claim damages off motorists but will have no issues riding away without exchanging details if they cause damage to a vehicle (yes, it does happen).

Incidentally, what happens to motorists who capture a cyclist breaking the law? There's no registration number to note down. Unless the cyclist volunteers their details, what are the chances they will be prosecuted in the same way as a motorist?

This is a prime example of a moronic cyclist - who pays for damage to the vehicles? Whose premiums will jump next year even though it was no fault of theirs? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDAYkdlKEGI

Strider590

Crabman wrote: »

This is a prime example of a moronic cyclist - who pays for damage to the vehicles? Whose premiums will jump next year even though it was no fault of theirs? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDAYkdlKEGI

But at least cyclists aren't trying to kill people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeDDLf6pqS0

rev_henry

Crabman wrote: »

Disposing of evidence is not looked upon too kindly by the courts

Most cyclists I come across are fine but there are the odd deathwish riders who think it's appropriate to approach at speed on the left of a stationary car and then dive across the bumper just as traffic lights turn green.

I see it happen (usually to other cars) quite often when I'm in Birmingham but you just have to drive defensively and allow for cyclists who will happily claim damages off motorists but will have no issues riding away without exchanging details if they cause damage to a vehicle (yes, it does happen).

Incidentally, what happens to motorists who capture a cyclist breaking the law? There's no registration number to note down. Unless the cyclist volunteers their details, what are the chances they will be prosecuted in the same way as a motorist?

This is a prime example of a moronic cyclist - who pays for damage to the vehicles? Whose premiums will jump next year even though it was no fault of theirs? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDAYkdlKEGI

Typical lycra fascist. My normal commute is entirely on cycle lanes (some of which are crap). I'll only filter up the side towards a junction if the traffic is stopped, as soon as it starts moving and someone is signalling left I slow down very quickly! I know my route extremely well though and often just have a feeling someone is about to do something silly. Having had some very close left hooks in the past I have to say in the last couple of days I've ended up in a couple of kinda 'after you' competitions with drivers which is makes a refreshing surprise!

thelawnet

Crabman wrote: »

Disposing of evidence is not looked upon too kindly by the courts

Most cyclists I come across are fine but there are the odd deathwish riders who think it's appropriate to approach at speed on the left of a stationary car and then dive across the bumper just as traffic lights turn green.

Hmm, the road design is to blame sometimes.

Have a look at this junction

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=forge+end,+woking&hl=en&ll=51.318828,-0.562664&spn=0.001757,0.005284&sll=51.317645,-0.560088&sspn=0.007027,0.021136&hnear=Forge+End,+London,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=51.318828,-0.562664&panoid=KEpWqTaJdLX-7bT-grxU8Q&cbp=12,28.75,,0,0

It's left turn only, and after turning left there's an immediate left-turn from there that many cars will take, with filter lane

If you use the cycle lane and are going straight after turning onto the main road, then many cars will be turning acros you to turn left, cutting you up.

Much better to ignore the cycle lane and stay in the car lane. But if you do that, motorists will complain that you should be in the cycle lane 'they've paid for' with their 'road tax'.

I see it happen (usually to other cars) quite often when I'm in Birmingham but you just have to drive defensively and allow for cyclists who will happily claim damages off motorists but will have no issues riding away without exchanging details if they cause damage to a vehicle (yes, it does happen).

Incidentally, what happens to motorists who capture a cyclist breaking the law? There's no registration number to note down. Unless the cyclist volunteers their details, what are the chances they will be prosecuted in the same way as a motorist?

This is a prime example of a moronic cyclist - who pays for damage to the vehicles? Whose premiums will jump next year even though it was no fault of theirs? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDAYkdlKEGI

Yes it's a good example, but he's putting himself at risk, not others. Bad driving affects others, bad cycling affects yourself. Most of us, in cars, have done things that could, on another day, be deadly - someone run out in front of your car when you are speeding, almost certain death. On a bike, it's much harder to be a threat to others, despite what motorists might say.

Bike = 80kg with rider, max speed about 25mph
Car = 3000kg or more, max speed over 100mph

More speed, far more mass, much greater danger.

Lum

It's still pretty easy for a cyclist to render a car unroadworthy. Just knocking off the driver's mirror is enough.

What if that car belongs to a person with disabilities, for example?

Plus if a cyclist does manage to get themselves KSI'd through their own dangerous cycling. There's still a chance of a significant psychological effect on the faultless driver that can in extreme cases prevent them from being able to drive.


Now combine the two.