Do helmet cams put anyone off cycling?

[Bicycle]

I think there is a place for helmetcammery and some of it is excellent. Some is not excellent.

The Internet is a global Samizdat and most people are their own worst editor. My own posts on this forum are an example of this.

Some of the more informative HelmetCam stuff can be very useful when teaching children to ride in urban environments.

Some of the Shouty-Rage-Monster stuff is slightly embarrassing and though it wouldn't put me off cycling, it might make me reluctant to admit I was a cyclist. Magnatom, Traffic Droid (sp?) and one or two others can approach this territory at times.

In between the excellent and the mildly disturbing, some Helmetcammery falls into the category: What was so bad about that?

As in : "I was passed by a van whose tyres may have been under-inflated by up to 2psi". That title's fictional, but only just...

Broadly, I think it is unlikely to put people off. I don't watch the TV Weather to see if it's raining outside. I look or go outside.

Most people will make their mind up about cycling by riding a bicycle rather than watching YouTube... I hope.

 

[swampyseifer]

As someone who is yet to ride a bike on the road, I think I can say that watching youtube vids of cyclists being ignored, not noticed or somehow put in danger hasnt directly put me off riding on the road (when the time comes). I was already aware of the dangers of riding on roads long before youtube was even around. I am often aware of other road users putting my safety at risk when I'm in a car, I can only assume that when I'm not entombed within a ton and a half of metal, with airbags, crunchzones, safety bars and other such life-saving measure...and its just me on a flimsy bit of metal...well I think I'll feel even less safe!

Once, I was driving late at night on a very narrow 2-lane windy country road, I was following someone who I assume was lost or something as they were driving around 30mph (instead of national speed). I had no way of overtaking as there are simply no straights long enough on that road that are safe to pass on...nevermind at night where I cant see as clearly where the corners are! I resigned myself to having to trawl along till they found the turning they were looking for...A few minutes later a huge truck came bowling up behind me, having to brake heavily to not hit me (I could see the headlights dipping as the front suspension dealt with the weight shifting forward). This person then decided the best course of action was to sit a mere few inches from my boot...with their headlights on full beam and hold the horn down for long periods of time. Quite possibly the scariest 10 or so minutes of my life so far!

It doesnt stop me driving though, and it wont put me off getting on the roads when I need to.

I think another way of looking at it is ultimately they are looking at a collection of videos that are there to demonstrate some of the dangers of being on the road...so it shouldnt be taken as "how the majority of road cyclists live".

Its like doing a search for Justin Beiber and then complaining thats how all of pop music sounds?

 

[gaz]

Its like doing a search for Justin Beiber and then complaining thats how all of pop music sounds?

Hahaha love it!

 

[al78]

Oh it does. You can't comment on other peoples bad behaviour on the road if you your self are not squeaky clean.

Incorrect. Being a hypocrite alone does not invalidate ones statements.

 

[gaz]

Incorrect. Being a hypocrite alone does not invalidate ones statements.

I suspect that is a little too far fetched for the common person to understand it. Therefor it is invalid

 

[cycleruk]

i have to admit when i first started looking at the videos on you tube, i did think to my self why on earth do i do this. but when you look at all the positves of this (for instance i have learned a lot watching these videos!) then no, you tube footage will not put me off from cycling.The positives far out way the negatives and what i will say is keep up the good work all you camera cyclists and stay safe , your are doing one hell of a job!!

 

[Hip Priest]

I first discovered these videos at the time I started commuting. They did make me slightly nervous, but not enough to stop me. In fact, some channels are really helpful for novice commuters (Silly Cyclists is a must-see).

I do find that there are quite a few idiot cyclists on youtube though - pure road ragers, basically.

 

[vernon]

It has to be remembered that the videos give a distorted perception of the risk faced by cyclists. The posters of the videos do not face such hazards with such a frequency that their rides are unpunctuated by hazard-free riding. The number of posters of videos are a very small percentage of the cycling public. If the number of recorded incidents were divided by the number of hours ridden by the 'victims' and then divided by the number of cyclist on the rode and then mashed up to provide a risk factor, most folk would see that cycling is a low hazard activity and doesn't justify the number of adult cyclists weaving and wobbling on pavements on their way to work. They'd get there much faster on the perfectly good roads design for and available to all.

 

[BSRU]

It has to be remembered that the videos give a distorted perception of the risk faced by cyclists. The posters of the videos do not face such hazards with such a frequency that their rides are unpunctuated by hazard-free riding. The number of posters of videos are a very small percentage of the cycling public. If the number of recorded incidents were divided by the number of hours ridden by the 'victims' and then divided by the number of cyclist on the rode and then mashed up to provide a risk factor, most folk would see that cycling is a low hazard activity and doesn't justify the number of adult cyclists weaving and wobbling on pavements on their way to work. They'd get there much faster on the perfectly good roads design for and available to all.

This is what people need to consider when watching video's on YouTube, I personally spend between eight to ten hours a week commuting at the busiest time of the day, i.e. rush hour, so I interact with lots of other vehicles without incident.

 

[Bman]

I commute 100miles a week and I havnt had a recorded incident worth uploading in months

 

[semislickstick]

I commute 100miles a week and I havnt had a recorded incident worth uploading in months

Well that's just tempting fate(or fiat).

 

[Bman]

Yeah, I thought so too as I was writing it. I thought it was a perspective that needed to be shared, so took the risk

 

[Tony Sutton]

As much as I hate to make a post to a thread that the last posting date of Nov 2011, I wanted to say that viewing these footages did not put me off, it actually encouraged me to know what is the best position for me to be on the road, know the risks/danger, etc and that gives me some 'knowledge' to keep myself safe.

I am preparing myself for a 10 miles ride to work from home which I aim to do so during this week or so. Just starting to build up my fitness levels before doing the full length.

I post my car's dashcam videos - did it put off people from driving? No. It's the same with bikes...

 

[compo]

I used a helmet cam for about a year or so. In that time nothing interesting/dangerous/compensation worthy happened. I don't bother any more.

 

[ianrauk]

I used a helmet cam for about a year or so. In that time nothing interesting/dangerous/compensation worthy happened. I don't bother any more.

Compo mate... you simply wasn't looking hard enough for trouble when there wasn't any to be had :troll: