The helmet camera debate

[Jake]

Why? I don't understand that. I only tend to see and video these things when I am stopped. So I stop at the lights, sit up. look around and there you have it, a driver on their mobile phone. What is wrong with shaming these people? Remember you are 4 times more likely to be involved in an accident if you use a mobile phone, and your reaction times are equivalent to a drink drivers.

It is these drivers that really gets my goat!

I agree with Mag' here. The laws are there for a reason, I take it when driving a car, you follow them ie, wear a seat belt and not yap on your mobile phone while smoking at same time. Ok we are not going to change the world by posting those kinda clips and the people who do it prob wont see the clips anyway, but it makes you feel a little better. I don't spend my whole journy looking for trouble, but if it happens and i capture it then great.

There is the hassel factor yes. The batteries only last a few hours, the transfer and render times, but how often do "good" things happen. Mounting on the helmet took no time, do wish the thing was smaller though, maybe the ATC3000 was not the best one to get, but its only a bit of fun.

 

[Molecule Man]

My girlfriend and I have experimented with attaching a compact camera to the handlebars (no helmets!), and have wondered about having it fitted more often.

I think it's a great idea, but I'm less bothered about it as a means to record evidence of misbehaviour, and more interested in recording impressions of my routes, how the urban (or less often rural) environment changes around me, that sort of thing. But then I'm a hopeless geography nerd and can think of nothing better than looking at maps, or trying to identify where photos/videos were taken. (Does anyone else do this with the cycling YouTube videos?)

 

[magnatom]

I think it's a great idea, but I'm less bothered about it as a means to record evidence of misbehaviour, and more interested in recording impressions of my routes, how the urban (or less often rural) environment changes around me, that sort of thing. But then I'm a hopeless geography nerd and can think of nothing better than looking at maps, or trying to identify where photos/videos were taken. (Does anyone else do this with the cycling YouTube videos?)

I think looking back on my videos in a few years time will be very interesting. Maybe one day people will search the archives of magnatom to see what Glasgow looked like in the old days!

 

[Jake]

hmm yes, the route in is lovely and the reflections in the water are captured amazingly sometimes, as are the sunsets on the way home. The camera has actually made me cycle better too, so that has to be good.

 

[Bollo]

I got mine for insurance purposes and oh boy do I not regret it. It paid for itself by a factor of about 30.

Just to chuck this into the mix, mine's mounted on the handlebars as I don't wear a helmet when commuting (no spinoff helmets debates please!). To my fellow road users, its effectively invisible as it just looks like a light, even close up. I think that helmet-mounted cameras are probably more likely to be spotted my motorists and potentially modify their behaviour. For good or ill I couldn't say.

As my camera is part of the bike, and not part of me, I also wonder if that changes my attitude to it. Usually, I just turn it on and forget about it, a bit like a light. Would a helmet-mounted cam change my attitude? - I don't know. These are only my thoughts. I'd be interested to see if anyone else has an opinion either way.

As for cameras in general, on balance they're a good thing for all the reasons that people have listed here. I think there's a growing awareness that plod don't give a flyer and I simply wouldn't bother for all but a serious injury, so we're left with informing, educating and entertaining.

For the record, I can't think of anyone on this forum I'd accuse of courting trouble for the benefit of the camera. I think trouble can often find us easily enough.

But trust me on this one - solicitors like videos.

 

[Jake]

hmm yes very good post.

I think the main reason i stuck mine on the helmet are for a couple of reasons. It's good to see where you are looking if like you say, i need to take it to a solicitor. It gives you a much wider degree of vision as if its on the bars, then its only pointing in that one direction. Your right about it being less visable, maybe a good thing, but i would hope the more viable one is more of a deterant to any kind of offenders. It is heavy and the kneck does hurt a little at times. Other cylcists do smile more when they see it too. I would like to know though, what the vibration to the image is like, that was one of the main issues for mounting it on me head.

 

[magnatom]

Bollo, that's interesting. I must admit that I considered getting one, but didn't as I don't wear a helmet that often (not at all in the summer) and I thought that the picture quality on handlebar mounted ones was not supposed to be very good because of vibration. Do you not find this to be the case?

edit: Didn't see Jake's post before I wrote mine!

You don't need a helmet. I have my camera on a head strap on my head, so it isn't actually attached to my camera. See here. You can get 10% off here as well .

 

[Origamist]

I'm conflicted. I am not surprised by the burgeoning use of cameras in the US and the UK – both of these countries have relatively high cyclist KSI rates compared to other western countries and a camera is a useful tool for recording some of the problems we face. It is also useful as "evidence", but I wonder if it would stand up in court - does anybody know?

That said, we also get loads of uploads of incidents on U-tube (near misses, crashes, etc) and cycling seems more like Rollerball. Poor driving standards are highlighted by the videos, but concomitantly the perception of cycling is now skewed as it appears to be action-packed and dangerous - which is not the case. These videos might also have a benefit for those who already cycle (to examine their riding technique etc) but I would contend that they are counterproductive when it comes to encouraging others to cycle.

Good for cyclists, yes. Good for promoting cycling, I'm not so sure.

 

[Bollo]

From a video quality point of view, all the advantages are with helmet mounting certainly. Bizarrely the thing that suffers most on mine is the sound, as it picks up the BB resonating through the frame.

Taking Origamist's point in Cab's Taxi thread, I view cycling, or commuting by bike at least, as a normal everyday thing that shoudn't require special clothing or protection. That's part of the reason why I don't wear a helmet to work. If I did wear a helmet to commute (which seems to be becoming the norm), I still think I'd leave the camera on the handlebars. To me, a helmet-mounted cam just seems a more extreme statement about and reaction to the dangers of cycling. That's just my viewpoint. To many people, having a camera at all implies that I must dice with death daily. Hard isn't it?

 

[Jake]

I think the sound is poor wherever you put it.

I'm sure it would stand up in court, its just like cctv no? If you come across someone being attacked, robbed, raped, whatever, then to have that kind of "evidence" is much better then trying to give a description of that person. Glad no one so far as started yelping about civil liberties, invasion of privacy, big brother state with cctv.

There was an interesting article in the Times a few months back, which helped with my decision to buy one too.

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Do the cameras come with a set of twitching net curtains?

 

[magnatom]

Origamist,

All my colleagues at work are very aware of my videos and what I do. However, I have managed to encourage (over the last 6 months) 4 to take up cycling to work. In my experience (and cab highlighted this in another thread) people prefer to be forewarned of the dangers, and thus be able to compensate for them.

In fact, I would suggest that without seeing my videos people think cycling is dangerous and crazy anyway. In all of my videos and especially in what I write about them, I always try to stress

a) that the incidents are rare (approx 3% of my commutes)
that by riding correctly you almost always will have an escape route
c) I would much prefer to cycle than to drive

As well as this, getting more cyclists on the roads isn't just about numbers. I think if we can increase the number of 'good' cyclists on the road, that is where we will see a difference. More good cyclists on the road would mean traffic would generally be a bit slower and smoother. The roads would be safer and more people would take up cycling. So maybe by viewing my videos and what I say about them, I will (maybe) encourage some new cyclists to think about safety, and not just to get on the road and see what happens.

I've had many, many comments good and bad about my videos, but I've never heard anyone suggest that, upon seeing my videos, they have decided against cycling. Quite the opposite!

 

[magnatom]

Do the cameras come with a set of twitching net curtains?

 

[magnatom]

Bollo,

I forgot to add. My camera which sits just under my helmet and is about lipstick size, isn't very visible at all. I usually have to point it out to people. I get some great reactions when they notice it!

 

[Jake]

the curtains were meant as a joke.

The joys of cycling are great though, the speed and time saved, plus the cost and the enviroment too. Just wish the weather was better and the god-dam roads had less chasms, holes, craters. I would get much better video footage lol