YouTube Dilema

[jimboalee]

I'm going to do a "Blue Peter" with an old tobacco tin, a cotton reel and some sticky-backed plastic; and see if anything changes.

 

[jimboalee]

I'm going to do a "Blue Peter" with an old tobacco tin, a cotton reel and some sticky-backed plastic; and see if anything changes.

Or shall I use a Colman's musturd tin??

Wait. They're not that big. A hair curler wrapped in black tape would be better.

 

[Origamist]

Wondering whether the actual act of securing a camera to one's bike makes you more uptight? I know I'm usually more relaxed without my HRM/ speed computer....

Fit and forget.

What compels cam-wearers to attach the cam day-in day-out? I can understand it for a nice ride in the countryside. But filming the same commute twice every day?...

If there are no witnesses to a collision/incident (other than those involved - and remember, cyclists don't usuallly come off better if they hit a car), a third-eye may well come in handy.

What happens to the daily commutes when nothing happens? Deleted? If so, then does dangerous driving count as a 'highlight'? Very weird world for me?...

Delete the film. The "highlight" is when nothing happens and you can format the card.

 

[Mark_Robson]

Wearing a headcam during a commute can be vital in the event of an accident caused by a motorist, ped or another cyclist. That's my reason for having one.
Where they become dangerous is when they are used as a weapon. I have watched many clips on Youtube where a cyclist has given chase to a car or bus and started an argument with the driver. Once the argument has became heated the cyclist points out that he is wearing a camera and he is going to use the footage to his advantage. This IMO is really not a good idea because someone is going to take exception to the cyclist and rip the camera from his head.
If people want to give chase to motorists and argue with them then so be it but don't rely on a camera for protection.

 

[BSRU]

They seem to be trouble magnets in that cyclists who wear them seem to have more near misses and confrontations than I do.
And when posted on youtube, some (not all) of those near misses appear to be completely unremarkable and some (not all) of those confrontations completely unnecessary.
Post it and see. I promise that I won't flame.

The number of near misses and bad driving I see are the same now as when I did not use a camera. Just before when it happened I just shrugged my shoulders knowing nothing could be done about it, one persons word against another. Actually the vast majority of near misses never make it to YouTube because I only upload ones I felt were dangerous when it happened. I did get an apology from Stagecoach recently because of footage I sent them, would not have happened before.

I have to say that normally I never confront the bad drivers I see, too much hassle and not worthwhile. But in this case it happened to be the second taxi driver in a few days who had put my life at risk in order to gain a few seconds, my main aim was to let him see the camera and hopefully tell the other cabbies and in theory they might be a little more careful with overtaking cyclists.

I do not mind being flamed, especially if justified.

 

[Jmetz]

As above (Mark Robson) thats what grates on me, the hundreds of youtube clips of cycling chasing cars giving it what for about wearing a cam. If you're going to report it so be it, but banging on about your headcam and causing the situation to escalate further is petty and immature. Having said that i absolutely love watching both cyclists and motorists rant and rave on a head cam.

 

[BentMikey]

It's a campaigning issue - bringing consequences for dangerous driving means that people will change their behaviour. Best of all, drivers won't know who is filming their actions.

As for ripping the camera off your head, well one driver tried that with me, in 4 or 5 years of filming, and he's due to attend Bromley today for an arrest by appointment. He didn't get the camera, and I have a second camera now anyway.

 

[gaz]

I don't post a lot of my footage, either becasue it looks different on camera or becasuse someone had clearly made a mistake and I don't think they will do it again.
The usual comments about us with cameras looking for incidences is always a laugh.
If the cabbie had told me a lie, and he had no reason to pass cloesly, then I would post it to expose him.

 

[BSRU]

What compels cam-wearers to attach the cam day-in day-out? I can understand it for a nice ride in the countryside. But filming the same commute twice every day?

Because I'm a stubborn git, the misses said not to waste the money as I would get bored of it after a couple of weeks, so far three months. Most of the stuff I see is low level but the rare really bad driving inspires me to keep wearing it. I always hope to have a boring commute with nothing bad happening but Swindon seems to be full of muppets on the road.

For some reason I ride a lot more now than before I had the camera, even when it p1sses down.

 

[BentMikey]

The usual comments about us with cameras looking for incidences is always a laugh.

I know it's hilarious! Such ignorance...

 

[Origamist]

I don't post a lot of my footage, either becasue it looks different on camera or becasuse someone had clearly made a mistake and I don't think they will do it again.
The usual comments about us with cameras looking for incidences is always a laugh.

Why don't you post film of me riding this morning looking for trouble, trying to "choreograph"* incidents with motorists...


*Come back Col, all is forgiven

 

[HLaB]

The occasional time I've fitted mine to the bars. I've found less thing happen than normal; maybe the ATC is a pretty big deterrent. I've also found that the fish eye lens can distort thing a fair bit making things in front seem a lot closer and visa versa thing to the side seem a lot further. Despite these short comings, I find it good to review mine and other folks stuff.

 

[BentMikey]

When campaigning like this, there's little point in filming someone's bad behaviour if you don't make the consequences evident. Telling them to search for their registration on youtube is nothing to do with inciting them, but to get them to see their actions, and know that others will watch their driving in public and on the internet. It's to get them to see their error in an irrefutable way.

Funnily enough I was thinking about posting a topic on how to tell people their registration is on youtube in a way that's least controversial.

 

[dondare]

I see a lot of genuinely dreadful driving when I'm walking. Perhaps the pavement is a better vantage-point for observing it.
But where to mount the camera?

 

[HLaB]

Funnily enough I was thinking about posting a topic on how to tell people their registration is on youtube in a way that's least controversial.

Smile, you're on Candid Camera and youtube too