From Bicycling
Over the past several years, more and more riders have been strapping video cameras to their bikes—not to capture rad jumps or beautiful scenery, but for safety reasons. However, the cameras might not be the panacea that many riders believe. On-bike video footage helped authorities catch the alleged driver who hit a cyclist on the Natchez Trace last month, but too often, video evidence from cyclists is ignored by overwhelmed police departments, particularly in cases where there’s no injury or other crime committed.
Still, many attorneys and cycling experts do recommend riding with video cameras. Colorado attorney Megan Hottman rides with a Cycliq Fly 6 rear-facing camera and light on every ride.
“Watching the footage afterward, it’s crazy to see how close some people get,” Hottman says. “It’s nice to know I have footage rolling should I ever need it!”
“Typically it’s the drivers who hit a cyclist from behind that try to get away from the scene because the cyclist is often not in a position to ID the fleeing driver,” Hottman continues. “Also cars that hit cyclists from behind tend to be traveling at a faster speed, hence the increased need to capture backward-looking footage. Forward footage is good, too, but most cyclists don’t have the cash or desire to run two cameras on every ride.” (Ride safe and confidently with Bicycling’s Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills.)
Bike Law attorney Lauri Boxer-Macomber is currently involved in a civil case involving on-bike camera footage that shows a driver failing to yield to an injured rider who had right-of-way. Local authorities are also using the video to determine if charges or a citation should be filed against the alleged driver.
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I run an old Hero that I got for free, but I find it frustrating that it is recommend to run cameras that are cost prohibitive for a large portion of people, especially people tied to sport cycling.