helmet cams for prosecution - what to get?

a_to_the_j

ok, i'm sick of this kak driving - almost got wiped out today by a car on the opposite side of the minor B road getting overtaken by some frikin nutball in a ford mondeo - did he brake when see me, no, he accelerated harder and waved at me to get off the road - which i had to, right into a grass ditch.

so - helmet cams with good enough resolution for prosecution ???- any pointers welcome!

cougie

Don't rely on them for prosecution.

You need to not get into the situation in the first place as much as you can.

Gopro session would be fine as a camera but prosecutions are rare.

slowbike

Kak driving? It's worse than that ...

Out for a ride with my 1yo son in a trailer - deliberatly staying off the busier roads as I don't want to put him at undue risk or hold up people if I can avoid it...

Nice ride - until we turn round to come home - going up a really back road - single lane goes from nowhere to nowhere - you wouldn't usually drive down here - don't think I have ever and I'm a local - car coming towards me - doesn't stop to let me into the passing place - keeps on driving at me - then gives me verbal !! wtf - you've got a kid in the back, I've got a kid in the back and you're threatening me with your c0cking VW Polo ... shame you didn't stop as your kid would've seen what the inside of your face looked like - the walkers you passed 3 seconds earlier were horrified by your attitude.

mr_eddy

My personal experience of cams:

Firstly I would suggest mounting on the frame rather than the helmet, I tried my camera first on my helmet and the footage was all over the place - Its amazing how much movement you make, Obviously if you want to be able to see footage of line of sight then fine but I personally find that having my camera on my handlebars makes for a much more stable recording and I can easily pick out number plates etc.

Secondly I would highly recommend going for a generic brand of camera as apposed to the defacto Go Pro etc. I bought a generic go pro replica from Amazon which came in at £50 and for this I got every type of mounting option you can think of, 2 batteries, a carry case and a waterproof housing. Add in the cost of a 32GB Micro SD and it still comes in at about 60% cheaper than then Go Pro's etc. Most of these cameras have the same 1080p footage of the higher end stuff and will also often take the same batteries. If you look at the spec you may want to consider camera's that have 'Cyclic Recording' this basically means the camera automatically manages your memory card and deletes the oldest recordings meaning you never run out of space - A 32GB card should cover several days of commuting.

Also before anyone says that these cheaper camera's are unreliable I have had mine for 5 months and its been used almost daily - I have left it by attached to the bike when on holiday in 36c heat and also accidentally washed it in the washing machine but it still works

Hope that helps.

a_to_the_j

thanks mr eddy thats great advice - i'll take a hunt around amazon tonight

mr_eddy

This is basically the updated version of mine:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterproof-APE ... action+cam

greenroadmachine

I bought a Garmin Virb Elite to capture dodgy driving on my commute. Mounted on the handlebar rather than the helmet, and running 720 at 60 fps. Almost the first time out, and the resolution was good enough to capture the registration of the driver perpetrating this piece of crazy - wing mirror hitting my elbow at over 40 kph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdZIHE6M9RY

Long_Time_Lurker

Serious question though - surely mounted on your helmet, you will also capture any altercation if you get in the unfortunate position of getting knocked off of your bike.
Mounted on the frame, all you will see if a cartwheeling frame and a load of tarmac while you are getting shouted at.

a_to_the_j

agreed - helmet would be my choice - but how heavy are these things?

ive taken a look at some, i'm amazed at the low run times (some are 30mins) - for my 1 hour commute each way it would mean charging up twice a day........

fat daddy

do they do decent bullet cameras for helmet mounting .... perching a giant square blob on my head .. I dunno, I would feel like one of those google cars

fenix

Wasn't there a theory that Schumachers injuries were worse because of the helmet mounted camera ?

a_to_the_j

there has been lots of theories that an impact on the camera would break/strain the helmet it a way is was not designed and could therefore make it weaker or less effective - not sure there has been any conclusive evidence of that for anyone involved in these type of accidents even Schumacher

wolfsbane2k

I've got a helmet mounted Shimano Camera - smaller than a gopro, lighter than most, and doesn't need any additional case or anything. Recording at 1080p/30fps I get 1 & 3/4 hour battery life, at 720p/120fps I get 1 1/2 hour, so it's a daily charge & every two days card copy & wipe with a 32gb card ( max it takes)

I've got it on a met crossover helmet, which comes with a designed "gopro" mount, which means that the camera can be mounted a little closer to the helmet than in a "additive mount" situation. It's also meant to have a breakaway point so it gives way when hit - thankfully I've not had to use it yet.

I plan to add another rear mount pointing when I can, either drop bar end mounted, or pannier mounted, as I generally ride with a top bag rather meaning the seat post is covered.

Long_Time_Lurker

Fenix wrote:

Wasn't there a theory that Schumachers injuries were worse because of the helmet mounted camera ?

There was a theory that was retracted once GoPro started questioning it.
They also seem to change the fittings every season, so it shouldn't be the case now - the fixings are adhesive now, rather than with a bolt.
I use a GoPro while snowboarding and riding and as long as your helmet fits well, you soon forget about it (until it gets caught on a branch) :oops:

kingrollo

fat daddy wrote:

do they do decent bullet cameras for helmet mounting .... perching a giant square blob on my head .. I dunno, I would feel like one of those google cars

Yes there are more appealing bullet cameras - I think the road hawk is one.

After a friend of mine got seriously injured Iam thinking of getting one. My dilemmas are :-

1.I would look a complete tool with a helmet mounted go pro (but isn't the visual effect making you safer?)

2.How much would you capture on a front facing bar mount ?

3.Front and rear would be quite expensive

4.To be totally sure - don't you need one facing left and right as well !

Where does it end !

(I've insured myself with pedal sure - £35k payout for £5 a month - if I am in a serious accident)

a_to_the_j

from what i have read, you get different angles of lens to cover wider ranges - so its worth noting that when looking/buying them...

fenix

You can get a Fly6 thats a light and a camera for the rear. I dont think they're THAT expensive.

I'd really not rely on camera footage for prosecution though - you do see clips on youtube and it looks like the cyclist is almost looking for an excuse to have an 'incident'.

Avoid the situation in the first place as it's going to be fairly unlikely that there is any prosecution.

And also stick to the rules too - if you're running red lights - or cycling like a dick - would footage of that help your case ?

a_to_the_j

sorry Fenix - but i think thats a bit naive - i had someone come and almost clip my arm who then stopped further up to get out and run at me in the middle of the road, because i shouted "watch out" - how can i avoid that - the more we submit and shutup and take it, the less of a problem the rest of the road-using-community see.

fenix

Call me naive but I've been riding 35 years and incidents like that are rare. Can't remember the last time a motorist stopped to take issue with me.

wolfsbane2k

Fenix wrote:

Call me naive but I've been riding 35 years and incidents like that are rare. Can't remember the last time a motorist stopped to take issue with me.

Unfortunately mine was last week. Yes, I shouted at the lass as she punishment passed me for the 6th time in 2 weeks - nice distinctive car, and I'd already reported the car to the local cops after the 4th close pass.

So it's very much dependant on the attitudes of people around you as much as your attitudes towards them.

slowbike

passive or agressive riding.
Some riders get up in arms when someone else even slightly violates their personal space.
Other riders are in a world of their own and hardly notice the world going by.

Most of us are somewhere in between - the more we're like brothers in arms the more likely we'll see a reaction from the drivers, if we don't react then it's unlikely to get a reaction from the errant driver - but then they're not going to know they've done anything wrong.

Reminds me - a colleague followed me rather to closely down a hill, into a 30mph limit and a bend - I didn't know it was him until he was past. Later when I challenged him over his actions he didn't know he'd done anything wrong - he thought he was "encouraging me to pedal a bit faster" - I corrected his perception and he took it onboard and has driven around me more sensibily since.
He's a reasonably educated man (manager position) and a father and he's not generally reckless - but didn't comprehend the danger he was putting me in by driving less than a car length off my back wheel - probably considering his own safety, but not mine.
The vast majority of drivers will be like this bloke - they'll drive along in all innocence not realising what they're doing until it's brought to their attention.

macleod113

well i have a go pro after i got left hooked by a driver a couple of years ago. i run the basic model go pro and charge it at both ends.
Naturally, the only time i needed it i didn't mount it as it was my first ride on my new CX as i hadn't put the bracket on it yet.
Mondeo man buzzed passed so close, as of course the cyclist was in his way, i shouted oi. he pulled over 20 feet further up the road, gave me a tirade, spat in my face and threatened to kill me and my children. he also called me a dweeb!!
thankfully i kept my cool and noticed all the witnesses around (who offered statements if required once the driver had gone). i did take his pic on my iphone and got his reg in case anything happened. p.s. the CX ride was great in the snow in January this year
so the morale of the story is take your camera.
the bad news is this took place 300 yards from my front door and the driver lives on the next street and i can see his house from mine!

greenroadmachine

Long Time Lurker wrote:

Serious question though - surely mounted on your helmet, you will also capture any altercation if you get in the unfortunate position of getting knocked off of your bike.
Mounted on the frame, all you will see if a cartwheeling frame and a load of tarmac while you are getting shouted at.

Well, all I need is evidence of the crash/close call and the reg plate. I don't really care about anything else. Also the helmet moves a lot compared to the handlebar, and tends to provide more shaky video.