Close passes and cycle cams

[Jason]

I started cycling again after a break of 4 years, and the thing that i've noticed most is the number of close passes I get now, to back then.
my position hasn't changed, in that I ride in secondary (1.5M from edge of road) position mostly, and take the lane when at narrow pinch points to avoid anyone overtaking me.
Courteous and say thank you when a considerate driver waits behind until safe to pass.

The G Pro has been called into action as a front facing camera, which mounts to an all-in-one garmin/gopro bracket.
What camera is good for rear facing?

 

[classic33]

You've the Fly5, which looks like a light.

I'd not rely on a camera alone preventing close passes. IF they see them, realise what they are, they may think twice.

I've used VHS camcorders, painted black & yellow, as rearward facing ones and they've been missed.

 

[KnackeredBike]

1.5m would be quite a bit further out than I would cycle on most roads, although most of the ones around me are quite narrow. I tend to cycle where the left wheel of a car would normally be or outside of the door zone when there are parked cars.

I used to say thank you when people wait to pass but some people seemed to think I was preparing to signal so I stopped doing that. The roads around here are quite bendy and I do tend to wave people through when I am on the outside of a bend and can see the road ahead is clear, which seems to be appreciated.

 

[Banjo]

Close passes are a fact of life in UK.
In France or at least in Brittany and Vendee regions where we go close passes are rare .When a que of cars form at a junction they pull out a bit to allow you to filter up the inside.Its a different world but we stick to rural places and small towns .big french cities are probably just as bad as the uk.

Not sure cameras make a real difference .if knobhead driver even knows what it is once they are close enough to see it they are probably committed to pass close or not.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Not sure cameras make a real difference .if knobhead driver even knows what it is once they are close enough to see it they are probably committed to pass close or not.

The cameras aren't supposed to prevent close passes (or any other stupid behaviour), they're to provide evidence after an incident, so the motorist is less likely to get away with lying.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

What camera is good for rear facing?

I use a GoPro rear facing, mounted to the saddle rail using a K-Edge mount. This puts the GoPro in a downward-facing position, so I've modified its settings so it records the video upside-down. The drawback of course with this mounting position is that it's not compatible with having a saddle bag attached to the rear of the saddle.

 

[classic33]

The cameras aren't supposed to prevent close passes (or any other stupid behaviour), they're to provide evidence after an incident, so the motorist is less likely to get away with lying.

So long as people realise that, they're worth getting.

They'll not change the behaviour of the drivers overnight.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

So long as people realise that, they're worth getting.

They'll not change the behaviour of the drivers overnight.

They'll probably never change the drivers' behaviour. But as I said, their main purpose is to provide evidence after an incident.

 

[Slick]

What do you use to edit any footage?

 

[Shut Up Legs]

What do you use to edit any footage?

For videos of mountain descents or something recreational, I use VideoPad on Windows (I paid for the full version of it) or OneShot in Linux. I would never edit any video I submitted to the Police, though, as it would compromise its status as evidence. Fortunately, I haven't had to do this yet, despite appalling driving standards here in Australia, the world's most cyclist-hating country.

 

[Slick]

For videos of mountain descents or something recreational, I use VideoPad on Windows (I paid for the full version of it) or OneShot in Linux. I would never edit any video I submitted to the Police, though, as it would compromise its status as evidence. Fortunately, I haven't had to do this yet, despite appalling driving standards here in Australia, the world's most cycling-hating country.

I have quite a selection of clips, but struggle to do anything meaningful with them as I can't edit them all that well.

 

[Jason]

They'll probably never change the drivers' behaviour. But as I said, their main purpose is to provide evidence after an incident.

to be clear, this is my main reason for my wanting a rear facing camera. A go pro seems overkill (pardon the pun) when often headlights or drl's are messing with the sensors. The front one is more to capture anything unusual,or when cycling in pretty areas.

 

[KnackeredBike]

Even if you give the police clear cut footage they will make up some excuse for the driver. Unless you are Jeremy Vine.

When I used to work for Sainsburys if you give them video of someone nicking £5 of cheese they would go into overdrive to prepare a case.

I can only assume that the police value the life of a cheddar more than a cyclist.

 

[Banjo]

People like cheese.

 

[Jason]

Cake just beats cheese, unless it's cheesecake