Evidence

buspassman

Having recently been hit from behind on a roundabout, by a motorist who was joining the roundabout and who promptly told his insurance company that it wasn't his fault, it occurs to me that we need some means of producing evidence of what happened if and when the worst comes about. In the age of increasingly miniaturised electronic gadgets,it can't be beyond the wit of someone to come up with a system of small cameras and a means of recording what the cameras see. After all, most motor sports feature pictures from on board, and I'm sure that if the means of producing the pictures would in any way harm the competitive edge they wouldn't be accepted. I hear, too,that it won't be long before we will be able to see live pictures from inside the peloton, so you can bet your bottom dollar that the means of producing thse pictures will be tiny. Perhaps the idea should ideally be made compulsory for all motor vehicles (as the tachometer is for transport vehicles), but in the meantime if someone came up with a workable and practical solution I for one would fit it to my bike.

spen666

buspassman wrote:

Having recently been hit from behind on a roundabout, by a motorist who was joining the roundabout and who promptly told his insurance company that it wasn't his fault, it occurs to me that we need some means of producing evidence of what happened if and when the worst comes about. In the age of increasingly miniaturised electronic gadgets,it can't be beyond the wit of someone to come up with a system of small cameras and a means of recording what the cameras see. After all, most motor sports feature pictures from on board, and I'm sure that if the means of producing the pictures would in any way harm the competitive edge they wouldn't be accepted. I hear, too,that it won't be long before we will be able to see live pictures from inside the peloton, so you can bet your bottom dollar that the means of producing thse pictures will be tiny. Perhaps the idea should ideally be made compulsory for all motor vehicles (as the tachometer is for transport vehicles), but in the meantime if someone came up with a workable and practical solution I for one would fit it to my bike.

nice idea- but how many cameras would you need to ensure you have a complete picture of all the vehicle and the surounding area to show how the accident happened?

mick_cornick

I have often mused on the idea of wearing a helmet camera for the same reason, but I doubt if it would be admissible as evidence.

Steveen

I do accident investigations as part of my job. Some things to remember, if you can as you fly through the air:

Get photographs at the scene, use your phone if it has the facility. This includes ones of who was watching at the time and what else was around as well as damage, reg, alignment of car wheels, tax discs, trye tread depth, slid marks, road surface...you get the gist.

Next..witnesses, lousy source of evidence unless you get it fresh. After an hour people will make it up, recall it wrongly etc. Watch for leading questions such as "how fast was the speeding cyclist going?" This adds 5 mph to the estimate from the witness.

Happy New Year.

alfablue

I guess you would need both front and rear facing helmet (or bike mounted) cameras. Quite feasible and not too expensive (2x ATC-2000 at maybe £150 the pair), however every ride would become a bit of a faff, having to set them up, I guess.

spen666

Steveen wrote:

I do accident investigations as part of my job. Some things to remember, if you can as you fly through the air:

Get photographs at the scene, use your phone if it has the facility. This includes ones of who was watching at the time and what else was around as well as damage, reg, alignment of car wheels, tax discs, trye tread depth, slid marks, road surface...you get the gist.

Next..witnesses, lousy source of evidence unless you get it fresh. After an hour people will make it up, recall it wrongly etc. Watch for leading questions such as "how fast was the speeding cyclist going?" This adds 5 mph to the estimate from the witness.

Happy New Year.

All very sensible and true advice.

I have an image of a cyclist trying to do as I have highlighted ( out of context) and taking pictures as he flies through the air