Helmet cam footage leading to prosecutions?

the_hundredth_idiot

I posted a few months ago about a run in I had had with a National Express coach. I had one of those eBay Muvi MD80 cameras on my handlebars so uploaded the footage to youtube, and sent a link to both National Express and roadsafelondon with a complaint about the driving. A nice, young, female civilian police person then came around and took down my particulars ...

This was back in the early summer and I never heard anything more - I assumed it had just fizzled out ... until yesterday. I get a call from a DCI in the traffic department of the Met who explained that, on the basis of the footage I provided (higher quality on DVD not just the youtube footage) the coach driver had pleaded guilty to driving without due care (I think it was), had got 3 points, a £150 fine plus lots of costs. As a "professional" driver, this is pretty serious and could lead to him losing his job. Good stuff, I thought, he'll take a bit more care around cyclists in the future.

Next bit is that the DCI asks if I would be prepared to be interviewed by someone from the BBC who is planning on doing a feature about this - i.e. cyclists using helmet/handlebar cams and successfully prosecuting dangerous drivers based on the footage. From speaking to the BBC chap, it seems that there are quite a few complaints from cyclists using helmet cam footage, but surprisingly few successful prosecutions. If any of you out there have successfully used cam footage to to secure a conviction against some dangerous/inconsiderate driving, would you send me a PM? (Assuming, of course, that you're happy for me to pass the story to this guy at the Beeb.)

PS. Also posted on lfgss as I know quite a few on there use helmet cams.

spen666

well done sir

bumpitybump

thats good news, think it could tip the balance to me buying one of the helmet cams.

spursn17

PM sent

tri-sexual

have you got a link for the youtube footage?

the_hundredth_idiot

Thanks for the PM, spursn17.

Will post a link later (youtube has, for the first time ever, asked me for a google log in which I don't have and don't have time to set up now). But search youtube for "dangerous driving national express" and my video should come out top (under the name ziggyrob).

I'll catch up more with this this evening.

jeremyrundle

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... highlight=

The Rookie

Chapeau

Clearly careless driving, in a turn left lane and cutting across at the last instant was just stupid, having the cam footage removes the '1 persons word against the other' scenario that means otherwise many efforts to see a driver punished will inevitably fail.

I can understand its hard for the Police, prosecutting every case of 'slightly careless' driving is not in the public interest (and if they had the same clamp down on poor cycling we wouldn't enjoy that), on the other hand their discretion to give a quiet ticking off seems to have been removed which is actually what is needed in most cases, this case though could so easily have been fatal had the driver made even a small misjudgement and on that basis I think the right outcome was reached.

Simon

tri-sexual

You are in the right, coach driver clearlydriving dangerously

Keith47

That was pretty scary, had a council refuse wagon do a similar thing to me at a traffic island yesterday, haven't got a cam (yet) though :x

shouldbeinbed

bumpitybump wrote:

thats good news, think it could tip the balance to me buying one of the helmet cams.

agreed. I like the idea of a handlebar cam.; I have lights on my helmet and am wary of looking too much like I've got antlers; what sort of field of vision do you get from the bars compared to a headcam?

(just gonna seek out you tube vid now, may answer my own q)

Edit - found vid, crikey. I had a similar thing a few weeks back at a set of roadworks, numpty hooned it up the inside lane and in right at the cones regardless of me being there and clearly visible.

bought one for £14 & free delivery from Amazon just now its only a little thing isnt it, it'll fit somewhere out of the way

the_hundredth_idiot

I strap mine to my handlebars using one of those velcro strap things that some people use to strap torches to their handlebars - can't remember the name of the top of my head but easy to pick up on eBay.

The coach caught me by surprise - I knew it was there but it was behind me and in the lane for turning left. I had no reason to suspect the driver would change his mind and, even if he had, not wait a few seconds and pull in behind me. Suddenly, a roar of big diesel engine and I'm forced to veer right into the next lane.

jeremyrundle

Dont place them on handlebars, first not enough damping, but more important, I have used vids in the car dashboard mounted for ten years and helmets for three, if you have a problem you can easily turn your head to "grab" a numberplate, you can not swing the handlebars round, also YOU can look up and down the handlebars can not, and fit two.

http://sirpatrickmooresales.co.uk/Ourpage.aspx

redvee

The Hundredth Idiot wrote:

I strap mine to my handlebars using one of those velcro strap things that some people use to strap torches to their handlebars - can't remember the name of the top of my head but easy to pick up on eBay.

Twofish Lockblock. I originally mounted my AT2K on the bars and did likewise with the MD80 clone. The CountourHD now sits on top of my helmet, I did look into mounting on the bars but having seen the footage from the helmet there is much more seen when I move my head, roadside totty etc

bumpitybump

Watched the video for the first time, looks pretty scary, not just for you but the poor bloke in the day glo jacket in front of you who almost found himself wiping the side of the coach as it squeezed past him.

Valy

Did not look too bad on the first view.

But yeah - wrong lane, forcing his way through more or less. It just may not look too bad because there area so many other videos that look pretty bad, yet about 99% of the time there is nothing done about them so maybe you expect something more drastic if it resulted in action! :shock:

the_hundredth_idiot

I know what you mean - I was a little surprised it went so far as I expected no more than the driver to get a bit of a warning. I've definitely seen worse on youtube. Perhaps it was because he was a professional driver?